Mark Pope is out here collecting Infinity Stones on his path to putting together a roster that no one expected to be this strong. He already secured five-star transfer Milan Momcilovic possibly the best three-point shooter in the country on his way to landing a comfortably ranked squad.
Now, after bringing in five-star freshman Ryan Hampton for the 2027-28 class, Pope has shifted his recruiting focus back to the immediate future. 247Sports’ Travis Branham, who has gone a perfect 10-for-10 on official predictions this year, just submitted his latest pick in favor of Kusturica to Kentucky.
If his 7/10 confidence rating (considered high on their scale) holds up, Coach Pope will fill Kentucky’s final scholarship spot with a player NBA Draft Room projects as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2028 NBA Draft: Nikola Kusturica. The site calls him a “long and wiry 6-8 wing with a really impressive shooting touch and awesome ball skills.” Just when we thought things couldn’t get any better, right?
Not only did Kusturica drop 20 points in the adidas NextGen Finals title game, leading Barcelona to a victory, but he also averaged 20 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.4 assists with Serbia last season. The kid is running circles around international competition at just 17 years old.
Nikola Kusturica Is Made for the Next Level
Even in its relatively early stages, Kusturica’s skill set looks like the kind that helped Andrej Stojakovic thrive at Illinois. On a bigger scale, it even brings to mind someone like Luka DonΔiΔ in an absolute best-case scenario. Bear with me here, BBN.
His court vision and passing ability seemingly a common trait among highly touted international prospects are incredibly sharp. Alongside that passing is a versatile scoring arsenal that relies on crafty off-ball movement and the ability to rise over defenders for a clean jumper with ease.
Kusturica has to be one of the most fluid prospects available for the 2028 draft; at his age, the way he moves and scores with such consistency is unmatched.
Of course, Pope and his staff still need to close the deal, even if they appear to hold a clear lead in this recruitment. And then, should he end up in Lexington, he’ll join what is already the most crowded position group on the roster. There’s still work to be done here, no question.
But this is simply the type of player you go after if you have the chance. Kusturica represents long-term, NBA-caliber potential that could be coming to play for the blue and white the specific kind of talent we haven’t yet seen in Lexington.
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