The Serbian big man played the last three years with KK Mega Basket
Without any rumblings regarding the Bucks moving the 47th pick in tonight’s draft, they ended up holding onto it and taking Bogoljub Markovič, a big man out of Serbia. But before you get too excited, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reports that he will stay in Europe one more year. After all, this range does tend to have a lot of draft-and-stashes. Still, let’s fill you in a bit on the newest Milwaukee Buck (technically).
The 19-year-old is listed between 6’9” and 6’11” depending on who you ask, and a wingspan of seven feet. As you might guess, he hasn’t really filled into his frame at his age, tipping the scales at 212 pounds when last weighed at the 2024 Adidas Eurocamp. He’s been with KK Mega Basket in Belgrade for the last three seasons, but it was only this past year that he began seeing minutes. He clearly belonged in Serbia’s top league, getting into 30 contests and averaging 29.4 minutes. His shooting splits are nice at .538/.370/.760, good for 13.7 PPG on almost nine attempts a game to go with 6.8 RPG and 2.7 APG. He turns 20 in just over two weeks.
Our own Finn Kuehl has watched a bunch of footage of Markovič and will have more on him in the coming days, but here’s a bit of a rundown according to one of our resident draft experts. Markovič is a legit stretch big with a quick and clean shot. He can shoot somewhat on the move but seems like more of a pick-and-pop guy. All told, he’s a confident shooter with a good feel for the game. One of the first words ESPN flashed underneath his highlight package was “versatility,” which is a good descriptor for his offensive game as he can also attack closeouts, plus put it on the floor and drive a little.
On the other end, the defensive upside is there, and although he’s pretty thin, he should be able to fill out a bit. His length is sufficient to protect the rim, especially from the weakside. He might not be the most switchable guy, though, as scouts have mentioned his perimeter defense is lacking. He’s gotten some comparisons to Franz Wagner, Lauri Markkanen, Chet Holmgren, and Santi Aldama.
While we won’t see Markovič with the big league Bucks this season, perhaps we’ll see him in Summer League. You can also bet that we’ll have updates on his exploits in the Adriatic League once their season begins, and Milwaukee will retain his draft rights until he either decides to come over, or they decide to trade them. Maybe he’ll be a Buck, maybe he won’t, but one thing’s for sure: he was drafted by the team. Welcome (sort of), Bogo!
P.S. since you’re probably wondering, Markovič mentioned in an April interview with HoopsHype that he pronounces his name BOH-go-lyoob MAR-ko-vich. People apparently call him Bogi, but someone might want to tell him the fraught history with that name should he ever end up in Milwaukee.