Andrija Jelavic could take this Kentucky basketball team to an elite level

Originally posted on Kentucky Wildcats on SI
By Andrew Stefaniak | Last updated Oct 4, 2025 9:19 AM ET

Andrija Jelavic

Mark Pope searched all over the globe to try and add players to the 2025-26 Kentucky basketball roster, and one of the guys he added is Croatian power forward Andrija Jelavic.

Jelavic played on one of the best pro teams in all of Europe, which is Mega Superbet in Serbia. During his time playing in this league, he put up some impressive numbers, proving he is ready for ball in the States.

Now Jelavic comes over to Kentucky, where he will fight for the starting spot at power forward with Alabama transfer Mo Dioubate. When it comes to Jelavic's skillset, he is an offensive unicorn. He is 6'11, but if you watched him play, you would assume he is a 6'4 guard.

Jelavic has an elite handle for his size and can shoot the ball at a very high clip. Most assume that he lacks on defense, but he is not a liability on this end of the floor.

When it comes to the role Jelavic will play this season, that is going to be very interesting. He and his fellow power forward on this Kentucky team are very different players. Dioubate is an elite defender and rebounder, but he is no slouch on offense. Dioubate shot a high clip from three last season in Tuscaloosa and is an elite second-chance offensive player.

Andrija Jelavic

Both of Kentucky's power forwards have a main skill set, but they don't lack anywhere on the floor, and this is a good thing to have.

The reason Jelavic is the wildcard on this team and has a real shot to raise the ceiling himself is because we really don't know what he is going to be. All Big Blue Nation has on Jelavic are some clips from his time in Croatia.

We do know that in his short time in Lexington, he has shot the ball very well, so that part of his game has translated.

Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the European kids, sometimes they pan out in college basketball, and sometimes they don't. Big Blue Nation is hoping Jelavic is one of the players who comes to America to play basketball and turns himself into a lottery pick.

Reports out of practice so far are that Jelavic is quickly adapting to the Pope system and that he is going to be a star. If Jelavic is really good for Pope's team this season, it is hard to see a world where this is not a top five basketball team in the nation.

This article first appeared on Kentucky Wildcats on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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