Two Wildcats listed on ESPN's new 2026 NBA Mock Draft

Big Blue Nation’s interest in the NBA Draft has changed since the early days of John Calipari’s time as Kentucky’s head coach. Calipari infamously remarked that the 2010 NBA Draft was the greatest day in the history of Kentucky Basketball, when five Wildcats were selected in the first round, including the No. 1 overall pick in John Wall. The next several drafts included multiple picks from Kentucky, part of the Calipari experience in Lexington.

Those times have since changed, as the NBA pipeline slowed down in Calipari’s last years and has slowed even further since Mark Pope’s new approach to roster-building. Pope had two second-round draft picks on his first Kentucky team and may have only one this summer, Jayden Quaintance.

Quaintance, who played just 66 total minutes for the Wildcats, is still considered a first-rounder by many projections, most recently in the new update to ESPN’s 2026 NBA Mock Draft. ESPN slotted Quaintance at No. 15 to the Chicago Bulls in the new mock.

“Quaintance remains one of the biggest wild-card prospects going into the predraft process,” writes Jeremy Woo. “Now a year removed from ACL surgery, he played just four games this season, with knee issues flaring up after he attempted to return. His physicality and defensive upside carry long-term intrigue considering he has yet to turn 19. How his medicals check out and how much he’s able to participate in on-court workouts will determine where he falls in what currently feels like a very wide draft range.”

The Bulls also hold the ninth overall pick, one of four teams with multiple top-20 selections.

Malachi Moreno projected in the second round

Malachi Moreno also earned a mention in ESPN’s new mock draft. Moreno landed a second-round projection, listed at No. 43 to the Brooklyn Nets.

However, Moreno is still expected back in Lexington for his sophomore season after he tests the NBA draft waters this spring.

No Otega Oweh

One big omission from the latest draft projection at ESPN.com: Otega Oweh, Kentucky’s leading scorer and All-SEC guard, was not among ESPN’s expected draftees.

The worldwide leader ranks Oweh at No. 76 on its Top 100 NBA prospects list.

The NBA Draft will be held June 23 and 24 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, and televised on ABC/ESPN.