WATCH: Andrija Jelavić was made in a lab to play for Mark Pope at Kentucky

Incoming Kentucky men’s basketball freshman Andrija Jelavić is still in the process of making his way to Lexington from his home country of Croatia, but that isn’t stopping us from looking ahead to what he can bring to the Wildcats in 2025-26.

Jelavić isn’t your traditional college freshman, having spent the last two seasons playing professionally for Mega Super Bet in the ABA (Adriatic) League. He’ll come to Kentucky as a 21-year-old with plenty of experience under his belt. The 6-foot-10 stretch forward averaged 10.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per outing this past season while shooting 48.5 percent from the field, 30.5 percent from deep, and 69.4 percent from the line across 29 games played.

“We’d like to get him here as soon as possible,” Kentucky head coach Mark Pope said earlier this week. “He’s doing great. He’s training back home and I expect him to come and have a great impact.”

But how quickly will that production overseas translate to playing in the Southeastern Conference? That’s what the KSR crew is here to figure out. Dive into the video below to learn more about Jelavić’s fit in Pope’s system.

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