Crvena zvezda basketball players made it to the semi-finals of the ABA League, but perhaps it is more important that Nikola Topić is back on the court.
On Monday in Podgorica, the Red and Whites defeated the Student Center with 77:92 for 2-0 in the series, and Topić played his first official game after almost four months.
The young playmaker entered the game already in the first part, and how he influenced the good game and the victory of his team. In the end, he had eight points with an assist and two rebounds in almost 16 minutes on the court. His index was eight, and with him on the field, Zvezda had +14.
Topić had a few more excellent moves and passes, but his teammates didn’t really respect him in some situations, so he was denied an assist, which is less important now.
As always, Topić looked maximally focused and ready immediately upon entering the field, you could feel his energy, but also the presence of another playmaker in the team, so Miloš Teodosić did not have to tire much (a little more than 17 minutes).
After the departure of Šabaz Nejpir from Belgrade, the club from Mali Kalemegdan saw salvation in Topić, who said before the start of the season that he wanted to play in Mega, at least if Zvezda leaders are to be believed. Nikola had an extraordinary first part of the season, he showed a magnificent talent and quality that few people, almost no one, possess at his age. He quickly matured on the field, he had complete freedom in Maga, and when Zvezda called in the middle of the season, he had no doubt whether he wanted to return.
However, a little luck was missing, maybe a little smarter decisions, since Topić suffered an injury only after two and a half games in the red and white jersey. For the first time in the season, he played three games in six days, and his knee hurt, but what is remembered is that Zvezda won all three games with Topić, and the rivals were Igokea, Fenerbahce and Partizan.
The first announcements were that Topic would return after four to six weeks, but the recovery took longer, and the red and white camp did not want to take any risks, since the Serbian playmaker is expected to have a high position in the NBA draft this summer. Topić missed as many as 31 games, Zvezda won the trophy in the Radivoj Korać Cup without him, managed to maintain the first place in the ABA League, but in the Euroleague it ended up in 16th position.
It is difficult to talk about what would have been if it had been. According to everything shown in Europe, Zvezda deserved to be in the 16th position, but with Topic in the second part of the season, everything might be different. Also, maybe everything would have been different if Topić had been in the team since the beginning of the season, although going to Mega was certainly a good move for him for several reasons.
We should not forget that Zvezda was without Jago and Teodosić for a while during Topić’s recovery, so they played practically without a playmaker, which also affected the game and the results. There is no excuse for failure in the Euroleague this season, but it is clear that Topić is also important in this team.
With him on the field, he gains security in the organization, he is able to play quickly in transition, but also smart in positional attack, his penetration worked very well in the first part of the season, his playmaking abilities are outstanding, and during the break he managed to work and on the shot, so against SC Derby he scored two three-pointers, and he also had very nice combinations with Teodosić and Davidovec.
Everyone now hopes that Topić’s knee is in excellent condition, that injuries will bypass him in the future, and at the end of the season he could be a very important factor for Zvezda in their quest for two more trophies.
In addition to the 18-year-old at the end of the season, special focus when it comes to Zvezda will be on To Trey Tompkins. The wing center with great experience was in the club for almost two months without a single minute on the field, he was recovering from an injury, and he finally played on April 7 against Split. There was a lot of illogic in bringing players to Zvezda this season, there were a lot of mistakes and misjudgments, and we’ll see if Trey will eventually fall into that group.
Tompkins has a rich career behind him, he was in Real and Zenit, but before coming to Zvezda he was out of the field for a long time. We should not forget that he is already 33 years old, and so far he has shown only a fraction of what he can do. His best game was against SC Derby, where he scored 11 points (three triples), and added five rebounds in almost 14 minutes on the field.
However, the real challenges and tests for Tompkins are yet to come. It is known how important the end of the ABA League is, especially after the debacle in Europe, so Tompkins needs to show what he can do in the semifinals and finals of the regional competition, and later in the Serbian championship. If he will be an important factor and if Zvezda gets him for the next season, we can consider his arrival as successful, if it is different and Zvezda remains without a title/s, it will be another one in the sea of failed players and decisions.
Zvezda will play against Mega in the semifinals of the ABA League, and the series can only start on May 3. On the other side of the draw, Partizan and Budućnost meet, so the excitement is not over yet, the biggest ones are yet to come.
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