Bogoljub Markovic was one of the most impressive Milwaukee Bucks in the California Classic.
The 47th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Markovic spent last year winning the MVP overseas in the Adriatic League. That enticed Milwaukee to sign him to a four-year, $9.3 million deal this summer.
Markovic wasted no time putting on a fireworks display in Milwaukee’s first game in the California Classic on Saturday (pun intended). In 25 minutes, he dropped 16 points (on 8-for-12 shooting), seven rebounds, and three assists.
He sat out Sunday’s contest, then returned Monday night against the Sacramento Kings. He was less efficient in his second outing, scoring 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting, but also added 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.
He already looks like a completely different player than last summer. Let’s dive into the film and break down what we saw from him in his 2026 Summer League debut.
Footwork
One of the most impressive parts of Markovic’s debut on the Fourth of July was his footwork. He showed a mature, developed game that is rare to see for such a young player.
His second bucket of the California Classic stood out.
Markovic received a back screen on a sideline out-of-bounds play that freed him to catch the inbounds pass near the right elbow. From there, he took one power dribble with his right hand.
His defender fought through the pick by that point and cut off Markovic’s driving lane to the rim. However, Markovic had other plans. He revealed a nifty spin back to his left before finishing with his left hand through contact at the rim.
Bogi with the beautiful spin and lefty finish. pic.twitter.com/OPnjQKNApZ
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) July 4, 2026
Halfway through the second quarter, Markovic was at it again. He grabbed a defensive board and took off with the ball down court. The Warriors were unsure about who was picking him up, and he took full advantage.
Coming down the left slot, Markovic took one dribble to the left elbow before revealing a nice change of pace. He faked a pass as he picked up his dribble, got the defender to leave his feet, and euro-stepped into a floater just outside the smile.
He had a couple of other nice displays of footwork on Monday night. It’s clear he enjoys the spin move, as it creates just enough separation for him to use either hand at the rim.
Passing
Another strength Markovic showed off was his passing and vision. It didn’t always result in buckets for his team, but he was seeing the court very well.
Midway through the first quarter, he went to set a pick for teammate Cormac Ryan. After Ryan rejected the screen, Markovic popped to the top of the key, where he received the bounce pass from Ryan.
Markovic rose up like he was going to pull the trigger on a three. That’s when Rafael Castro, who was spacing the court in the opposite corner, cut to the hoop after his man abandoned him to help on Markovic. As Castro was cutting, Markovic delivered a slick overhead bounce pass to Castro for a fairly easy slam at point-blank range.
One of his five assists against the Kings came on a nice piece of teamwork from Markovic and others. After setting a ball screen near the top of the key, he received a pocket pass just above the free throw line. The weakside help defender stepped up to stop an open Markovic layup, but the big man read it perfectly. He found a cutting Zack Austin over the top of the defense for an easy dunk.
Size and Athleticism
Markovic ran the court well on offense, showing good hustle and energy on that end of the court. However, he’ll need to improve his defensive energy to earn regular-season playing time.
There were a couple of occasions where he didn’t appear as committed on defense. One happened during transition defense.
As the Warriors were pushing the ball down the middle of the court on a miss, Markovic went to pick up the ball handler. Instead of moving his feet and staying in front, he lazily reached for a steal, missed the attempt, and let his man drive right past him for a layup.
That lateral quickness is a major question mark for Markovic right now. He may struggle against forwards, and it remains unclear whether he can even keep centers in front of him. Only time will tell.
The good news is he does know how to use his size. At 6-foot-11 and 210 pounds, he understands how to use his body to bang on the boards. He also uses that size to seal off smaller defenders on offense.
Shooting
This was the biggest question mark Markovic left unanswered after the California Classic.
After going 0-for-3 from downtown against the Warriors, he followed up with another 0-for-4 night against the Kings. He also missed his lone free throw in the California Classic opener while going 1-for-2 against Sacramento.
Although his shot mechanics look solid, almost all of his scoring damage came right around the rim. That suggests the Bucks still have a key question to answer as they move to Las Vegas later this week and get another look in the Summer League.
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