Bogoljub Markovic and Johann Grunloh Continue To Impress in Domestic Play

The potential 2025 class of international big men was quiet heading into the season, but recent performances by the likes of Bogoljub Markovic and Johann Grunloh have them making noise and the ranking of 2025 international center prospects murkier.

Johann Grunloh / fiba.basketbal

Many 2025 NBA Draft analysts this summer were very excited about Rocco Zikarsky, while keeping a pulse on Izan Almansa and/or Hansen Yang, and that was about it for international center prospects. Of course, there was plenty of basketball to play between then and June, which meant ample of time for prospects to work their way into the discussion. Bogoljub Markovic and Johann Grunloh are two prospects who have done exactly that. 

Serbian big, Markovic, has emerged as an intriguing tweener big prospect for development factory KK Mega Basket. At 19 years old and 6-foot-11, he’s averaging 14.5 points, 2.6 assists, and 8.1 rebounds per game on 51/36/78 shooting splits in 30 minutes per game. Markovic isn’t a conventional borderline 7-footer. He likes operating on the perimeter and putting the ball on the floor. He can still play out of the post and roll to the rim, but his combination of size and skill has made him lethal in transition this season. His nearly 1.4 points per possession on transition opportunities are among the best in international basketball, per Synergy Sports. 

He’s shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc on 36 attempts. His size and release point make it difficult to contest his three-point shot as well, on a small sample size of eight, Markovic has made 50 percent of his contested threes this season per Synergy Sports. Markovic’s future is likely more as a big wing or skilled forward than as a natural center. He’s much more finesse than force. 

Markovic will need to figure out where he fits in defensively going forward and mainly improve his lateral quickness and ability to defend on the perimeter. If he can offer more resistance defensively, teams will be inclined and encouraged to let his offense flourish. 

Grunloh has emerged as a somewhat more traditional center prospect with the German club Rasta Vechta. The majority of his offensive opportunities arrive after he sets screens. He is a weapon in the pick and roll and pick and pop due to his soft hands, ability to pass, and being a solid marksman from beyond the arc. Grunloh is shooting 42 percent from deep on 21 attempts in domestic play this season. 

Grunloh is averaging 8.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game on 52/43/69 shooting splits in the Basket Bundesliga but his slender frame -- 6-foot-9 and 220 pounds -- raises concerns about his ability to bring this skillset to the NBA level. He hasn’t defended on the perimeter all that much and it’s likely a skill he’ll need to be able to play as a forward, even a less mobile forward, in the NBA. Grunloh is skilled, and bigs who have touch, range, and vision like him are desirable, but he will need to find a way to fit on the other end. 

Grunloh and Markovic, as well as Mouhamad Faye, have firmly worked themselves into the conversation alongside the likes of Almansa, Yang, and even Zikarsky whose struggles in the NBL have seen his name moved further back on big boards and draft discussions. The 2025 class of international bigs is much more crowded than it was six months ago, and plenty of time remains for a standout to emerge.

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