What’s different about Giannis Antetokounmpo situation this offseason?
What’s different about the Giannis Antetokounmpo situation this offseason? Jim Owczarski discusses next moves for the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Milwaukee Bucks drafted a teenager for the fourth time in their last five draft picks when they selected Serbian big man Bogoljub Marković with the No. 47 pick in the second round of NBA draft on June 26.
Bucks assistant general manager Milt Newton said the team did explore moving up in the draft to take Marković but ultimately were happy he fell to them.
“A player that really has nice size, athletic, can shoot the ball,” Newton said. “Really good basketball IQ, good feel for the game. As the round went on, we actually were crossing our fingers, but also trying to see if we could move up, just in case, just to give ourselves a better opportunity to select him. For the first time ever, no picks were sold. We tried, but at the end of the day, we got him where we drafted, so we’re pretty excited about that.”
Marković, who will turn 20 years old on July 12, is a 6-foot, 11-inch power forward who played last season for Mega Basket in Serbia. He averaged 14 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He shot 54% overall, including a 38% mark from behind the 3-point line. He also attempted 4.2 free throws per game.
In a brief television interview on ESPN, Marković said his international playing experience has prepared him for the NBA physically and mentally “the most out of anyone here, in my opinion.
“I’m just super glad to be here, blessed and ready to get to work.”
That work will begin in summer league for the Bucks, and Newton said Marković’s play there will help determine if he is rostered by the Bucks for the 2025-26 season or if he heads back to Serbia for more seasoning.
Marković played at under 200 pounds last season in Europe, but weighed in at 213 at the combine in May. Newton acknowledged Marković has to add weight and strength, and the scouting staff projects him as a mobile power forward with rim protection ability.
“Some of the comps that they throw out in regards to him is like Dario Šarić, Nikola Mirotić, they always told us that he reminded them of that type of player,” Newton said. “Obviously, a little bit thinner right now, gotta get stronger, put on some more weight.”
Marković was promoted to the Serbian senior national team and might play alongside three-time MVP Nikola Jokić in the summer of 2025 for the EuroBasket competition.
“It means a lot because you have to have skill and you have to know how to play the game to play to that level, but also, you’re playing against grown men,” Newton said. “We think that bodes well for him, just to see him compete on that level. We know that we’re getting a player who has played against a lot of mature, experienced players. And a lot of times with young players, especially our own college players, they haven’t really played against that physical style of basketball. The fact that he has tells us he has a lot of moxie about him, and he also can play with physical players. The best is yet to come for him.”
The Bucks picked teenagers AJ Johnson and Tyler Smith in the 2024 draft and a 19-year-old Chris Livingston in the 2023 draft. Johnson was traded to Washington last season at the deadline in a four-team deal that also sent Khris Middleton to the Wizards and brought Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee.
“For one, we also look at upside,” Newton said of picking another teenager for a team that has expectations to compete for an Eastern Conference title. “To have a player with that length, who can do the things that he can do, those are all transferrable, translatable things that you can do in the NBA. But like I said, going back to the fact that playing with grown men, playing in a physical league and being able to have some success in that, we think that is something we can look at and think that, you know what, in a year, two years, he will be able to compete on the NBA level, if not sooner than later. The potential is there, and the upside is there that we just couldn’t pass on.”