Malachi Moreno works out for New York Knicks as pre-draft process continues

Malachi Moreno is currently testing the NBA Draft waters to gather feedback on his game. As part of that process, he participated in a pre-draft workout with the New York Knicks on Tuesday, according to Adam Zagoria, along with Donovan Atwell (Texas Tech), Elliot Cadeau (Michigan), and Jackson Paveletzke (Ohio). The Knicks hold the Nos. 24, 31, and 55 picks in the draft, which takes place June 23-24 in Brooklyn.

The news comes on the heels of a new mock draft by Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, which had Moreno going, coincidentally, No. 31 to the Knicks. It’s the highest Moreno has been projected in a mock draft so far, which Wasserman says is because several stars have withdrawn from the draft to return to school to cash in on NIL, which could prompt teams to gamble on a promising young seven-footer like Moreno. Wasserman added that Moreno could garner more first-round interest with a strong performance at the NBA Draft Combine next week.

Because Moreno is currently the best player on next year’s roster, that mock draft led to a little bit of panic in Big Blue Nation as fans worry he may choose to stay in the draft over another year at Kentucky. Today’s news of a workout with the Knicks probably won’t ease those concerns, but it’s important to remember that pre-draft workouts are part of the process. It’s hard to recall a Kentucky player who tested the waters who didn’t work out for a team, even those who weren’t projected to be drafted. Otega Oweh tested the draft waters twice and worked out for several teams both years before deciding to return to Kentucky for his senior season.

Moreno’s agent tells Jacob Polacheck that there are no more workouts scheduled at this time. Next week, Moreno will be in Chicago for the NBA Draft Combine, which runs May 10-17. As part of it, he, Oweh, and Jayden Quaintance will participate in skills drills, scrimmages, get official anthropometric measurements, and have the opportunity to meet with NBA team officials. Those scrimmages will be streamed, and I’m sure BBN will be locked in to see how Moreno does, along with Allen Graves, Milan Momcilovic, and Tounde Yessoufou, players Kentucky is likely to pursue if they withdraw from the draft and return to college. The deadline for underclassmen to make that decision is May 27.

For now, remember that Moreno has already signed his return deal with Kentucky, and only one mock draft has him on the cusp of the first round; odds are that deal is more lucrative than any he can get in the second round and maybe even some in the first. Pre-draft workouts and the combine will give him a better idea of his stock and what he needs to do to improve it. With all the panic swirling around BBN right now, it’s not easy, but trust the process.

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