The NBA scouting calendar got cloudier on Friday, as two projected top picks playing overseas were both ruled out for most of the month of January.
In Australia, Alex Sarr, ESPN’s projected No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, will miss approximately 2-3 weeks with a minor hip strain. The 7-foot-1 French big man slipped on the court in Perth’s blowout NBL win over Adelaide on December 28th, limiting him to 13 minutes of action.
Perth said an MRI confirmed Sarr’s hip strain, and he that he will be re-evaluated next week.
The 18-year-old Sarr is in the midst of an outstanding season in Australia, ranking among the best shot-blockers in the NBL and helping Perth win nine of their past 11 games to claim second place in the standings. He started the season with a bang, posting 43 points, 19 rebounds and 12 blocks in a pair of games versus G League Ignite in early September, and has seen his draft stock rise consistently since.
In Serbia, Nikola Topic, ESPN’s projected No 5 pick, will miss at least four to six weeks with an injury he suffered in Red Star Belgrade’s EuroLeague win over rivals Partizan Belgrade. Topic was playing in his third game with the team after returning from a loan to Mega MIS Belgrade.
Topic, a 6-foot-7 point guard with outstanding court vision and playmaking creativity, was recording historic numbers — 18.6 points, 6.9 assists per game — for an 18-year old in the Adriatic League, helping him elevate his standing considerably in the eyes of NBA executives. The MVP of the FIBA U18 European Championship isn’t expected to play again until March, a source told ESPN.
The EuroLeague regular season ends April 11 and Topic’s Adriatic League season is expected to extend into late May with the club also competing in the Serbian league, which ends in June.
The 2024 NBA draft is scheduled for June 27 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics service used by NBA, NCAA and international teams.