Where Moreno and Momcilovic Land in Post-Lottery NBA Mock Drafts

For some strange reason, the NBA Draft Lottery was held in the middle of the afternoon on Mother’s Day. Why? There is no logical explanation. The same could be said about at least one prognosticator’s updated NBA Mock Draft.

John Wall was on the stage when the NBA announced the Washington Wizards will have the top pick in the NBA Draft for the first time since he was selected in 2010. This year’s lottery is loaded with talent, and up until today, the mock drafters could not use a franchise’s need to determine where a player may be selected. The lottery drawing provided some clarity, but for Kentucky fans, it was irrelevant.

There are two players Big Blue Nation is monitoring closely ahead of the May 27 NBA Draft withdrawal deadline, Malachi Moreno and Milan Momcilovic. The former has announced he plans to return if he ultimately decides to forego his professional aspirations. Mark Pope is recruiting the latter if the former Iowa State sharpshooter decides to remain in the college ranks for another year. Both are considered fringe first-round picks.

What do the mock-drafters think about each player’s professional aspirations? Let’s dive into them all and see where Jayden Quaintance and Otega Oweh‘s stock lies ahead of the June 24 NBA Draft.

Kevin O’Connor, Yahoo Sports

We start with the draft expert who made a big stink around BBN earlier this week. On Friday, he slated Malachi Moreno as a first-rounder at No. 25 overall. Today, O’Connor placed Moreno at No. 39 overall with the ninth pick of the second round. What changed in two days’ time? Your guess is as good as mine.

In this mock draft, Momcilovic is two spots behind Moreno at No. 41 overall to the Miami Heat. Jayden Quaintance comes in at the end of the first round with the No. 25 overall pick to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Jonathan Wasserman, Bleacher Report

Wasserman was the other analyst who put Kentucky fans on edge last week when he slated Moreno at No. 31 overall as the first pick of the second round to the New York Knicks. That is where you will find Moreno in Wasserman’s updated NBA Draft forecast. Other noteworthy mentions:

Jayden Quaintance, No. 15 overall, Chicago Bulls
Milan Momcilovic, No. 37 overall, OKC Thunder
Otega Oweh, No. 49 overall, Denver Nuggets

Sam Vecenie, The Athletic

One of the most respected NBA Draft analysts does not believe Moreno or Momcilovic will keep their names in the NBA Draft. That’s noteworthy. He does have Otega Oweh going off the board near the end of the second round with the No. 56 pick to the Chicago Bulls, and Quaintance just outside of the lottery at No. 19 to the Toronto Raptors.

“Projecting Quaintance is a fool’s errand until we get answers at the combine on his medicals and whether he can make a full comeback by the time the NBA season starts,” writes Vecenie. “If he were fully healthy this year, I think he’d be the 10th pick in this class, as he reminds me a lot of Robert Williams III, who made an All-Defensive team for the Boston Celtics. But the range is extremely wide for Quaintance. He’d fit in nicely with the Raptors’ decision to go all-in on mobile defenders with length and high-level defensive IQ.”

Jeremy Woo, ESPN

Jayden Quaintance, No. 15 overall, Chicago Bulls
Milan Momcilovic, No. 35 overall, San Antonio Spurs
Malachi Moreno, No. 43 overall, Brooklyn Nets

Adam Finkelstein, CBS Sports

The fine folks at CBS did not dive into the second round following the NBA Draft, only including Jayden Quaintance as a first-round pick. He’s slotted just outside of the lottery at No. 16 overall to the Memphis Grizzlies.