Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno may pursue his NBA dream after all, after declaring for the draft, where he was initially just gauging his stock. Moreno’s future with the Kentucky Wildcats is up in the air. While Moreno had announced his decision to return to the Wildcats, coach Mark Pope might still not have his seven-footer back for his sophomore season.
Recent reports suggest that Moreno’s stock is rising rapidly. Some projections see him selected as early as the top pick of the second round. This can be attributed to the performance he has shown in the draft combine so far, and it may keep him from withdrawing from the draft.
“Kentucky fans may need to prepare for the unthinkable… Malachi Moreno was expected to return to Lexington after testing the NBA Draft waters. Now? NBA Draft buzz is heating up FAST. The 7-footer from Georgetown, KY was just projected ONE pick away from the 1st Round, and scouts reportedly love his upside heading into the NBA Combine. Could Big Blue Nation only get ONE year of Moreno in Kentucky blue?” the post was captioned.
This year’s NBA Draft is slated to occur on June 23 to 24 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The final deadline for players to withdraw their name from the draft is as late as June 13. But if Moreno has intentions to return to coach Mark Pope’s team and keep his NCAA eligibility, the final deadline for that is later this month on May 27.
Mark Pope affirms his program’s support towards Malachi Moreno’s NBA dream
Coach Mark Pope also recently posted a video to his X/Twitter page wherein he answered questions from fans and spectators. At one point, one fan asked Pope about where the team is in regard to its frontcourt rotation next season. Pope then highlighted that Malachi Moreno is the squad’s top priority. However, if he does push through with the NBA, they will give all their support to him.
“Malachi Moreno was the number one priority for us going into this portal season. We think that he is going to be the best center in all of college basketball next year here at Kentucky. He is also going through the draft process. He had a great workout just last night for an NBA team. Next week, he is heading to the combine, and we are supporting him every step of the way,” Pope shared. (1:13)
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Article written by Koby del Rosario
