Bogoljub Markovic Could Be a Late Riser for the 2025 NBA Draft

With the international contingent of the 2025 NBA Draft mostly flailing and seeing their draft stock drop over the course of the season, an opening is there for a player to rise to the top and surprise teams and scouts over the next few months.

Bogoljub Markovic / fiba.basketbal

From the start of the season to now, no international prospect has done more for their draft stock than French center Joan Beringer. His quality play in the EuroCup and the Adriatic League, particularly as a game-changing defensive center, has seen him claim the top spot as an international prospect as we approach the 2025 NBA Draft.

Beringer deserves credit for that, of course, but the fall of highly-rated prospects from the pre-season has played a role, too. It created the window that Beringer has now capitalized on. Time remains for another player to do the same. Beringer and fellow countrymen Noa Essengue are the primary international prospects being held in high regard by scouts and front offices, but the erratic play by this international class means nothing is set in stone, and Serbian forward Bogoljub Markovic could take advantage of this scenario as well. 

Often, once the NBA season ends and the rest of the basketball world turns its attention to the draft, there’s usually a couple of international players who start to pick up late buzz. Last season, Zaccharie Risacher, Alex Sarr, and Nikola Topic were names that most basketball fans were familiar with, but in May and June, Pacome Dadiet and Nikola Djurisic started to rise in conversations. 

This doesn’t always translate to a higher draft selection. Dadiet was making the first round of mock drafts around this time last year, and Djurisic was always seen as a second-round pick. But their names were thrown around more, and Markovic could likely see something similar. The first reason is because of Markovic’s skill set. He’s 6-foot-11, nearly 200 pounds, has a 7-foot wingspan and nearly 9-foot standing reach. He’s got the size of a center, but a decent set of perimeter skills. 

Across all competitions, Markovic is averaging 13.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists to 2.9 turnovers, 0.9 blocks, and 0.8 steals per game on 51/40/91 shooting splits. He’s taken 99 free throws and 52 three-pointers. His 0.5 free throw rate is ahead of Beringer, Nolan Traore, and Ben Saraf. He only trails Essengue’s outstanding 0.7 free throw rate among top international prospects. 

Markovic’s offensive makeup is well-balanced overall. Roughly 40 percent of his possessions that end in a shot are from post-up, roll man, or offensive rebound situations. Spotting up and transition opportunities take up almost another 40 percent, per Synergy Sports. Markovic is comfortable setting screens and coming off screens. He likes putting the ball on the floor from beyond the arc and inside it. He moves relatively smoothly for his size, and on the defensive end, he rotates between guarding opposing wings or centers as his team needs him to. 

In matchups against stronger EuroLeague centers such as Brandon Davies and Tyrique Jones, he has more than held his own and hangs with them physically. His rim protection is decent, and he’s a solid help defender who times his rotations well. 

Players like Markovic have been selected relatively high in recent drafts: Chet Holmgren, Alex Sarr, Jabari Smith Jr., Ousmane Dieng, and others. Also, Aleksej Pokusevski. The results of players with an archetype like Markovic’s are wide-ranging. Holmgren is a certified star, and  Pokusevski is out of the league. Markovic will also benefit from the fact that he plays for KK Mega Basket, the Serbian club that has developed a reputation for developing NBA players such as Nikola Jokic, Nikola Jovic, and others. 

Markovic checks the boxes of a prospect that will pop up for those playing catch-up on draft film a few months from now. Tall, long, skilled, athletic, and playing for a well-known development club. He’s seen by most as a second-round pick but a strong end to the season, impressive performance at the combine, and other scenarios could see him soar up draft boards in the final stages of evaluation. Whether that will be correct or not is something we’ll only know for certain a few years from now.

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