Mark Pope securing Franck Kepnang for Kentucky's backup five spot feels like the last conceivable move before Malachi Moreno makes his NBA Draft decision. Kepnang should serve as a more than capable second option, and his commitment has rightfully excited the BBN this week.
But with money on the table and the Cats' starting big, as well as arguably most important returner, feeling out the draft process, Coach Pope's third team can't really finalize until a choice is made. And, as of right now, it looks like Moreno could go either way.
What exactly the Kentucky native wants in the draft is unclear, but according to Kevin O'Connor, Moreno decided against playing in 5v5 scrimmages at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. O'Connor also noted that Moreno has garnered intrigue from teams in the "mid-late first round range."
Cross your fingers, BBN. Moreno looks to be rising on draft boards.
Kentucky center Malachi Moreno will not play in 5v5 scrimmages at the NBA Draft Combine this week, per league sources. Moreno has garnered intrigue from teams in the mid-late first round range.
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) May 11, 2026
Moreno's Stock May Be Rising
Then again, a mock draft is exactly that: A mock. Nobody knows exactly what these teams are thinking, nor precisely why Moreno decided to sit the scrimmages out. Folks will be quick to wonder if it's because he's been guaranteed a first round selection already, but that's far from the only option.
As Ryan Hammer explained, also on X, Moreno could simply be learning what he needs from potential NBA suitors ahead of a return to Lexington.
"Could it be 'draft stock great don't need to play in 5s & will stay in draft'? I guess - I just doubt in this class that Moreno has already got THAT MUCH confidence to not have to play 5s," Hammer said.
Coach Pope himself said that Moreno was the staff's top priority entering this offseason; of course, they technically retained him. He's signed with Kentucky and, for the time, set to play in the blue and white this coming season.
The NBA simply changes everything. Kentucky fans will remember enduring a similar scare with Otega Oweh last offseason, before the Cats' star returned for his senior season in Lexington.
Now, just as we did then, all that can be done is to wait this thing out and have the back of a Kentucky kid either way. Kentucky certainly needs Moreno back, but with the intangibles and essentially nonexistent ceiling that he carries as a prospect, this was always a possibility.
Players have until May 28 to withdraw from the draft. The ride is only beginning, Cats fans.
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