The Mick Cronin era started off strong for the UCLA Bruins with a Final Four trip in 2021 and consecutive Sweet 16 appearances the next two seasons. NCAA tournament success has been tougher to come by since then, with the Bruins missing March Madness altogether in 2024, then exiting in the second round the next two years. UCLA badly needed a talent infusion to get back to the top of the college basketball landscape, and it received one in a major way on Thursday with the commitment of arguably its best recruit since Lonzo Ball in 2016.
UCLA lands Nikola Kusturica, its best recruit since Lonzo Ball and a top 2028 NBA Draft pick
Kusturica will be a 17-year-old freshman phenom at UCLA before entering the NBA Draft in 2028.
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Serbian forward Nikola Kusturica committed to UCLA on Thursday a week after completing an electric run in the FIBA U17 World Cup. He will be eligible to play for UCLA in the 2026-27 season. Kusturica led his country to a second-place finish in the tournament by averaging 24.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.3 steals, 1.7 blocks, and 2.7 assists on 57.3 percent true shooting across seven games. He was incredible in Serbia’s gold medal game loss to the United States, finishing with 37 points and nine rebounds in the defeat.
Kusturica turned 17 years old in April, which means he’ll have to spend two years in college before entering the NBA. He has been developing at Barcelona alongside Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, who is currently considered Kusturica’s biggest competition for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2028 NBA Draft.
Kusturica is a 6’7 wing with elite slashing ability for a player his size and his age. He plays with impressive pace as a ball handler, and is relentless at getting into the paint and finishing at the rim. Kusturica isn’t just a slasher: he also displays a high-level off-ball game with legitimate three-point volume and timely cuts. For as skilled as Kusturica is, his motor might be the thing that really wins over NBA scouts. He runs the floor hard and crashes the glass with force at both ends. His thin frame and youth — he’ll be one of the youngest players in college basketball next season — could prevent him from playing with as much physicality at UCLA next year, but the fact that his motor always runs hot will serve him very well in both college and eventually the NBA.
Here’s a compilation of Kusturica during the final game of the U17 World Cup:
UCLA is going to have an international flavor after bringing in former Auburn forward Filip Jovic and former Mississippi State forward Sergej Macura through the transfer portal, as well. The Bruins will likely start Kusturica next to returning forward Eric Dailey Jr., guards Trent Perry and Jaylen Petty, and big man Xavier Booker.
Kusturica and Boumtje Boumtje (who is headed to Duke) might be the two most talented freshmen in college basketball this season at only 17 years old. Of course, projected top 2027 draft picks like Kansas forward Tyran Stokes, Arkansas guard Jordan Smith Jr., and Arizona guard Caleb Holt will have something to say about that, too.
College basketball will be loaded with young talent once again, and UCLA just landed one of the best incoming freshmen in the country.
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