Malachi Moreno will not scrimmage at the NBA Draft Combine after all

Malachi Moreno is at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago this week as he tests the NBA Draft waters. The seven-foot freshman was listed on the initial rosters for the five-on-five scrimmages released on Sunday; since then, his plans have changed.

According to Kevin O’Connor, Moreno will not participate in the scrimmages this week. His agent, George S. Langberg, confirmed the news to Jacob Polacheck. O’Connor did not divulge why Moreno changed his mind, but noted that he has “garnered intrigue from teams in the mid-late first round range.”

Moreno cracked the first round of a few mock drafts last week, but was moved back to the second round after the lottery on Sunday. O’Connor has Moreno going to Houston with the No. 39 pick in his post-lottery mock, but ranks him higher on his big board of prospects, at No. 30, adding on Twitter that Moreno is “one of the clear risers in the pre-draft process.” Another reason for that could be the number of top draft prospects who have pulled their names out of the draft to return to college to cash in on NIL.

Moreno worked out for the New York Knicks last Tuesday, which Mark Pope mentioned during one of his fan Q&A videos, adding that he believes Moreno will be the best center in college basketball next season. The deadline for underclassmen to withdraw their names to return to school is May 27 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

“Malachi Moreno was the number one priority for us going into this portal season,” Pope said. “We think that he’s going to be the best center in all of college basketball next year here at Kentucky.

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“He’s also going through the draft process. He had a great workout just last night for an NBA team. Next week, he’s heading to the Combine, and we’re supporting him every step of the way. This is the place where basketball dreams come true, and Malachi has two dreams. He’s dreaming of hanging a banner at Kentucky, and he’s dreaming of playing in the NBA, and so we’re supporting him, chasing both of those.”

Even though Moreno is not scrimmaging this week in Chicago, he may still go through drills, measurements, athletic testing, and medical examinations, and meet with teams. Strength, agility, and shooting drills take place tomorrow and will be broadcast live at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Five-on-five scrimmages take place on Wednesday and Thursday, and the combine wraps up on Sunday. Otega Oweh will take part in the scrimmages, playing for Team Weems, which is also the team Moreno was on.

Does Moreno’s decision not to scrimmage mean he’s got a first-round guarantee, or that he’s decided to return to school? Hopefully, it’s the latter, not the former, or next season’s roster takes a big hit. Kentucky added Washington center Franck Kepnang on Saturday, but Moreno is far and away the best pro prospect on this team and primed to step into a leadership role in year two, eager to lead his home-state school back to the promised land.

We have our ears to the ground to find out more. Until then, here is a rundown of where Moreno stands in the latest mock drafts. He did not crack the first round of those that only mock the first round, like Gary Parrish’s and Adam Finkelstein’s. Sam Vecenie mocks both rounds, but doesn’t include underclassmen who are testing the waters who aren’t considered consensus top 35 prospects based on the feedback he’s getting from teams.