2025-26 IU basketball player profile: Aleksa Ristic

IU's Aleksa Ristic attempts a jump shot.

With the start of college basketball season approaching, we’ve transitioned from our look at other Big Ten programs to our player-by-player previews of the 2025-26 IU basketball roster.

Today, our player profiles continue with freshman Aleksa Ristic.

Previously: Andrej Acimovic, Trent Sisley

A mid-June addition to the IU basketball roster, Serbia native Aleksa Ristic arrives in Bloomington with the potential to contribute to the Hoosiers as a freshman.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound guard committed to the Hoosiers on June 16 and was officially announced as a roster addition on July 8.

“Aleksa is a versatile guard that can play on and off the ball,” IU coach Darian DeVries said in a release announcing the signing of Ristic. “He is a competitive kid that has high-level experience playing in FIBA events. We think he has the ability to handle the basketball and make plays out of the pick-and-roll while also being an efficient shooter that will add tremendous depth to our backcourt.”

The 20-year-old Ristic spent three seasons playing for KK Dynamic in the Serbian KSL, the top league in his native country.

Last season for KK Dynamic, Ristic averaged 13.6 points, 4.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals over 19 games.

Although Ristic committed to the Hoosiers midway through the summer, his arrival in Bloomington was delayed until late July. He spent most of that month playing for Serbia in the FIBA U20 Eurobasket in Heraklion, Greece.

Serbia finished with a 5-2 record in the event, and Ristic averaged 11.3 points, 6.3 assists, 1.9 rebounds, 0.9 steals and 2.4 turnovers in 32.1 minutes per game. He shot 33.8 percent from the field, 22.5 percent on 3s and 85.7 percent on free throws.

Shortly after he arrived at IU, Ristic made the trip with the Hoosiers to Puerto Rico in early August for three exhibition games.

Despite having little time to work with his teammates or learn the scheme, Ristic was a positive contributor. He averaged 4.3 points, three assists, 2.7 rebounds, two turnovers and a steal in 17.5 minutes per game.

Ristic shot 46.2 percent from the field, including 55.6 percent on 2s and 25 percent on 3s.

As the Hoosiers prepare for the start of the regular season in less than a month, the status of Ristic for the start of the regular season is unclear.

He did not participate in IU’s open practice or cream and crimson scrimmage last week due to an undisclosed foot injury. Ristic had a boot on his foot and has been using a scooter to get around in recent weeks.

While he didn’t shoot the ball well from outside at the FIBA U20 Eurobasket or on IU’s trip to Puerto Rico, perimeter shooting is considered a strength for Ristic. He shot 38.6 percent from distance last season for KK Dynamic.

Ristic has posted strong assist numbers throughout his career and should be able to play either guard spot for the Hoosiers once he returns to the floor.

On a roster in need of guard depth behind Tayton Conerway, Lamar Wilkerson and Conor Enright, Ristic will battle Jason Drake, who is also currently injured, for minutes off the bench.

Bottom line: His injury status remains a question mark, but Ristic looked the part of a contributor with his play in Puerto Rico. He has good size and a sturdy frame for a guard and plenty of experience playing against older and more physical players in Serbia. He’ll need to shoot the ball better from the perimeter than he did over the summer to claim a rotation role, but he appears to be a quality addition by the IU coaching staff to round out the 2025-26 roster.

Quotable: “Ristic put together a strong season for KK Dymanic, producing ultra-efficient splits and a strong assist-to-turnover ratio. Aleksa’s a very strong, efficient lead guard who has grown to be one of the better shooters in Serbia, shot over 42 percent from 3 last summer in U20s. Indiana lands a terrific shooter in the 19-year-old guard.” – International scout Arman Jovic on Ristic in mid-June.

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

See More: Commentary, 2025-26 season preview, Aleksa Ristic