All eyes are on Milan Momcilovic at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago

Malachi Moreno is the biggest fish Mark Pope is hoping to keep on the line as he navigates the draft waters at the NBA Combine in Chicago this week — he’s signed a return deal with Kentucky, but the pro buzz is picking up by the day. That would be problematic for the Wildcats, so it’s undoubtedly something to monitor both now and up to the May 27 withdrawal deadline.

Another situation to monitor, and a comparable fish at a separate position, competing in the same prestigious event as he weighs his professional and portal options? Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic, who shot 48.7 percent from three while averaging 16.9 points per contest as a junior with the Cyclones, dropping 20 on UK to end the Cats’ season in the Round of 32.

Now, he’s atop the wish list for Pope in terms of non-Moreno additions, hoping to steal the 6-8 sharpshooter to fill the starring vacancy on the wing that was originally reserved for Kansas signee Tyran Stokes. Armed with a massive bag of cash and a clear role with a million shots available, will it be enough to stop him from pursuing his professional dreams now rather than later? That’s certainly the hope, and his performance at the Draft Combine will go a long way in deciding that.

How are things rolling early in Chicago? Well, it’s been a mixed bag.

2026 AWS NBA Draft Combine anthro measurements for Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic:

6’8" barefoot, 218.2 pounds with a 6’9 ¼" wingspan and 8’6 ½" standing reach pic.twitter.com/7ftkdLYq32

— Jon Chepkevich (@JonChep) May 12, 2026

Momcilovic’s measurements were okay at 6’8″ barefoot (95th percentile) and 218.2 pounds (60th percentile) to go with a 6’9.25″ wingspan (26th percentile) and a 8’6.5″ standing reach (23rd percentile), but his agility drills didn’t turn many heads, finishing with a 32-inch max vertical (23rd percentile), 27.5-inch standing vertical (24th percentile) and 3.47 3/4 sprint (fourth percentile), but a 11.22 lane agility finish (55th percentile) to save those testing results.

Most notably, he had the fourth-worst wingspan/height gap at +1.25″.

Milan Momcilovic
@ PF
Combine Score = 19.1
Physical Score = 15.2, Agility Score = 57.6, Vert Score = 37.4 pic.twitter.com/rjWACuQalA

— Max Savin (@supersayansavin) May 12, 2026

Where he separated himself, however, was where everyone expected him to: shooting.

Momcilovic went 17/25 in the spot-up shooting drill (No. 5), 22/30 off the dribble (No. 5), 16/25 in the three-point star drill (No. 6) and 16/28 in the side-mid-side drill (No. 6) while also going a perfect 10/10 at the line to tie for No. 1 in that category.

Milan Momcilovic star shooting. Sniper! Didn’t test so well athletically though pic.twitter.com/vXGtG124ES

— Finn Kuehl (@finleykuehl) May 12, 2026

KSR+’s Jacob Polacheck reported last week that Kentucky conducted a Zoom meeting with Momcilovic and his representation — and could make him one of the highest-paid players in college basketball if he decides to pull his name out of the draft. The Wildcats are among the very few teams in the country with the roster spots and money available for a player of his caliber this late in the portal process, so that development is significant.

He would prefer to turn pro, but if his stock continues to hover in the early-second round territory — ESPN has him at No. 35 overall to the San Antonio Spurs in the outlet’s post-lottery mock — cash could be king in this one, especially when you factor in the platform and role available in Lexington.

Still a long way to go, but we know how Pope is hoping this all unfolds with both Moreno and Momcilovic suiting up for the Wildcats in 2026-27. That’s a roster I think every fan would be excited to see take the floor.