UK Fans of the Day want a Post-Combine NBA Mock Draft

The NBA Draft Combine doesn’t technically end until Sunday, but the bulk of the action in Chicago is over, prompting a fresh wave of takeaways and mock drafts from media members in attendance. In turn, there are some items of note for Kentucky fans as we wait for Malachi Moreno and Milan Momcilovic‘s draft decisions.

Malachi Moreno

It’s been a week since the talk of Moreno potentially climbing into the first round of the draft began. Kevin O’Connell put Moreno No. 24 in his mock draft last Friday, just to move him back down to the second round after the lottery on Sunday. Earlier that week, Jonathan Wasserman projected Moreno to go No. 31 to the New York Knicks after Moreno worked out for the club, which also has the No. 24 and No. 55 pick.

In his new mock draft today, Wasserman has Moreno at No. 29, to the Cleveland Cavaliers (via the San Antonio Spurs). At the combine this week, Moreno met with four more teams: Los Angeles Lakers (No. 25), Miami (Nos. 13, 41), Boston (Nos. 27, 40), and Portland. More workouts are lined up, along with a Pro Day in Los Angeles next week.

Over at CBS Sports, Adam Finklestein threw some cold water on Moreno’s chances of going in the first round, noting that all the chatter could just be some clever negotiating by his representation. Moreno elected not to scrimmage in Chicago.

Speaking of stock that could impact a stay-or-go decision, there were reports this week that Kentucky’s Malachi Moreno had attracted attention from teams in the mid to late first round. While that certainly may be true, many of those teams also hold second-round picks, and many of the scouts I spoke to expressed skepticism that Moreno would crack the first round this year.

Instead, those reports could be viewed as negotiating leverage with Kentucky in order to command the highest possible valuation for Moreno’s return to college and Lexington. The fact that Moreno chose not to play five-on-five, while higher-ranked bigs like Rueben Chinyelu, Tarris Reed, and Flory Bidunga all opted in, was also being viewed as an indication that Moreno’s representation was being very deliberate about controlling how the big man was being perceived.

Ultimately, most still expect him to return to school.

Adam Finklestein, CBS Sports

Mark Pope was also in Chicago to see Moreno and Kentucky’s other combine participants, Jayden Quaintance and Otega Oweh. Jack Pilgrim has some intel from Moreno and Pope’s meeting on KSR+, which I encourage you to check out.

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Milan Momcilovic

Earlier today, we got some promising quotes from Milan Momcilovic courtesy of Ben Roberts. While the Iowa State forward’s focus is on the NBA Draft, and he would like to stay in if guaranteed a deal, he likes the potential fit at Kentucky under Mark Pope. We certainly like that too, as Momcilovic was the best three-point shooter in all of college basketball last season and would dramatically boost the floor and ceiling of next year’s roster.

Although Momcilovic performed well in shooting drills at the combine, his athletic testing numbers weren’t great (they weren’t expected to be). Wasserman has him going No. 40 to the Boston Celtics (via the Milwaukee Bucks) in today’s mock draft update. CBS Sports’ Isaac Trotter predicted on Wednesday that Momcilovic will ultimately return to college, a decision he and Moreno have until May 27 at 11:59 p.m. ET to make. Fingers crossed that it’s at Kentucky.

Jayden Quaintance

Quaintance continues to be the highest-ranked Cat in the mock drafts. Wasserman has him going to the Chicago Bulls at No. 15. Trotter named Quaintance one of the risers at the combine, noting that he could climb into the lottery.

Quaintance certainly looks the part. The Kentucky big man has eye-popping measurables, especially with a wingspan that checked in north of 7-foot-5, and when healthy, he is one of the most terrifying defensive prospects in this class. He just moves differently … when healthy.

Quaintance’s outlook hinges on the medicals and whether there will be any red flags about his ability to stay healthy long-term.

After only playing four games for Kentucky during the 2025-26 season, Quaintance did all the athletic testing and shooting drills in Chicago. He told reporters that he is “95% healthy” in his road to recovery from a torn ACL, and his pro day drew rave reviews. Quaintance measured well, interviewed well and if the medicals come back clean, he could certainly hear his name called in the late-lottery.

Isaac Trotter, CBS Sports

Otega Oweh

Otega Oweh is the only Wildcat who scrimmaged in Chicago, and it turned out to be the right decision. Oweh scored 20 points in Wednesday’s scrimmage and 21 points on Thursday, showing off his trademark ability to get to the rim and finish, along with some impressive defensive intensity. Wasserman has Oweh going No. 49 to the Denver Nuggets (via the Hawks) in his mock draft. The Athletic’s John Hollinger included this note on Oweh in his combine wrap-up.

“Kentucky’s Oweh showed off his ability to score in transition and get downhill in the half court, racking up 41 points in two games. However, he made only one of his eight 3-point tries, with several low-liners coming up way short.”

Oweh has a workout scheduled with the Dallas Mavericks, who have the Nos. 9, 30, and 48 picks.

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