I know why you're here, BBN - I'm not just blowing smoke. If you're scared of Final Four talks, go down to Knoxville.
Mark Pope has had a controversial third offseason in Lexington. A number of massive targets have literally come and gone, leaving without a commitment to the Wildcats in favor of some other school and contractual obligation. Many have begun to finger-point at Pope for recruiting shortcomings.
Yet, adding Milan Momcilovic - Kentucky already had a Zoom meeting - quiets all of that noise. What's more, I'd argue, Pope landing his first real big fish in the form of Momcilovic would put this already good Kentucky roster over the top. With the addition of one of the nation's best scorers, I believe the Cats' ceiling rises to the Final Four.
And when you're in, anything can happen.
A Roster With Final Four Potential
Stay with me here. When Coach Pope was first brought to Lexington, it was dominately on the basis of his revered offensive system at BYU. Kentucky fans have yet to see that fully replicated in the bluegrass state, save for flashes from Koby Brea and Collin Chandler.
That may be because Pope hasn't had a pure, "get your own shot" scorer. Someone who can get around or outright shoot over defenders. Someone who scores without thinking. Someone like Milan Momcilovic.
Momcilovic, the No. 2 overall transfer in this year's cycle (per 247Sports), averaged 16.9 points per contest on an unmatched 50.6%/48.7% shooting split. The latter clip from range is good for the best in the entire nation, according to ESPN, and that's on just under eight attempts a night.
This is a guy that takes a solid Kentucky roster with good facilitators - see Mark Pope's excitement about his backcourt's assist rates - and makes it great.
Good to Great
A starting five of Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, Milan Momcilovic, Ousmane N'Diaye, and Malachi Moreno (assuming he returns), is disastrously lengthy and versatile. Then, consider Kam Williams, Braydon Hawthorne, and Justin McBride off the bench, among others, and you've got an insanely high ceiling in either rotation.
Knowing Coach Pope, too, he'd get creative with the substituted groups. You never know what may work within that bunch. But one thing is for sure: Momcilovic is bound to elevate any team he ends up on. This is assuming that he, also, returns from NBA Draft consideration, but that's far from a far cry.
The star forward would be an ideal fit in the Mark Pope offense and, in my opinion, is the last major piece this Kentucky team needs to forget about the gap that Tyran Stokes left behind. Momcilovic is a generational fit at exactly the right time. He's a "get by any means necessary" guy.
And he's a guy that could get Kentucky back to the final four,
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