After being drafted and stashed, then going on to win MVP and, for the second year in a row, the Top Prospect Award in Serbia’s Adriatic League, the Milwaukee Bucks committed to Bogoljub Markovic early this offseason, signing him to a four-year, $9.3m rookie contract.
The timing was both right and wrong. Markovic does have talent (more on that in a moment), plays a position of need, and, at just 21 years old, fits the Bucks’ current timeline. So, if he’s ever going to become an NBA player, now, while the Bucks have no pressure to win, is the time to find out. On the other hand, signing Markovic so early in the offseason undoubtedly contributed to the Bucks’ roster logjam, leaving them in the position they are now, needing to trim two players without many appealing pathways to do so. In hindsight, waiting until after his Summer League evaluation would’ve retained at least some roster flexibility. But I digress; Markovic is here—at least for now.
In Summer League, Markovic put up decent counting stats: 8.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.2 SPG, 1.0 BPG, and 1.2 TPG, to go along with .381/.364/.667 shooting splits. He had some moments too, including a 16-point, eight-rebound showing against the Phoenix Suns. But he also went MIA for stretches—or even entire games, like the 1/9 stinker against the Philadelphia 76ers to wrap up SL play. In the end, his play earned him a C- on our official Summer League report card.
Offensively, Markovic has some chops. He’s a gifted passer who can create from the high and low post and, under the right circumstances, even off the dribble. He’s more explosive than you’d think too—no, I’m not going to call his athleticism “sneaky”—able to quickly flush home dunks. He’s also a capable shooter, though he needs to improve his consistency to become a legitimate floor-spacing big in the NBA. This, it seems, is his most likely avenue to a real NBA role.
On the defensive end, it’s a different story. If Markovic was a cricket bat, he’d be applauded for his defensive stroke play—how vertical he is. Unfortunately, he’s a basketballer and he’s just far too upright as a defender to make much of an impact. Like a cricket bat, he’s also still far too thin and narrow, meaning he’s too easily pushed around. He’ll get some boards and blocks by nature of his length, but he’s no deterrent at the rim and gives up far too many second chance opportunities. Put it this way, Markovic is strictly a four and should only ever see minutes at the five in blowouts.
Looking ahead, a successful season for Markovic would be one in which he hits the gym, hard, and polishes the stroke enough to earn semi-consistent court time; 40 games at about 10 minutes per would mean he’s made significant strides. Anything more would be a bonus.
With Markovic snicking one to slips and on his way back to the changerooms, which Buck will be next to join him?
