Mark Pope is out here collecting Infinity Stones on his way to a roster that nobody expected would shake out as good as it has. Already, he landed five-star transfer Milan Momcilovic - potentially the nation's best three-point shooter - on his way to a comfortably ranked team.
Now, after netting five-star freshman Ryan Hampton for the 2027-28 group, Pope has turned his recruiting momentum back to the present. 247Sports' Travis Branham, who is 10/10 on official predictions this year so far, just logged his latest in favor of Kusturica to Kentucky.
If his 7/10 confidence meter (high, according to the scale) is to be believed, Coach Pope will fill Kentucky's last spot with a guy projected as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2028 NBA Draft by NBA Draft Room, in Nikola Kusturica. The site describes him as a "long and wiry 6-8 wing with a really impressive shooting touch and awesome ball skills." Just when we thought it couldn't get much better, right?
Not only did Kusturica score 20 in the adidas NextGen Finals title game, leading Barcelona to a win, but he averaged 20 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists with Serbia last season. The dude is running circles around overseas competition at just 17 years old.
This tape from that championship game, posted by Jonathan Givony on X, is a perfect microcosm of his game:
Nikola Kusturica went for 20+10 to help Barcelona win the adidas NextGen Finals championship game, hitting tough shots, showing his handle and passing feel and making big plays defensively.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 25, 2026
The 6'9 wing will headline Serbia's loaded FIBA U17 World Cup team next month. pic.twitter.com/JoeRnnlv7L
Nikola Kusturica is Built for the Next Level
Kusturica's skillset appears to be, even in its relative infancy, the sort that saw Andrej Stojakovic succeed with flying colors at Illinois. On a larger scale, it's even reminiscent of someone like a Luka Doncic in the absolute best-case scenario. Stay with me here, BBN.
His vision of the floor and ability to pass, as seems to be a trend with highly touted international prospects, is incredibly sharp. Paired with Kusturica's passing is a multi-faceted ability to score that utilizes sneaky off-ball movement and rising over defenders for a clean jumper with ease.
Kusturica has to be among the most fluid prospects on the board for the 2028 draft; at his age, the way he moves and scores on a consistent level is second to none.
Of course, Pope and his staff still have to get this thing done, even if they're out to an apparent lead in the recruitment. And then, if he does land in Lexington, he'll join perhaps the most overpopulated position on the roster already. There's work to be done here, make no mistake.
But this is simply a guy you go and get if you're able to. Kusturica represents long-term, NBA-level potential that could be coming to play for the blue and white, the specific likes of which we haven't yet seen in Lexington.
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