‘The right decision.’ Why Kentucky, not the NBA, was best for Milan Momcilovic
Milan Momcilovic spent the majority of his spring chasing the NBA.
The former Iowa State forward received what he described as legitimate interest — enough to make him and his family pause and strongly consider the choice until the end. But as Momcilovic considered the feedback, the picture sharpened; though his famous sharpshooting was expected to translate, other questions remained unanswered, and the smartest move for his long-term plan was another year of college ball.
Momcilovic pulled his name out of the NBA draft in the final days and soon after committed to Mark Pope and Kentucky for his senior season — a decision he said was fueled by the people involved and what he learned during the draft process.
“I was focused on the draft, honestly, the whole time,” Momcilovic said. “I probably knew the last couple days that I was going to pull out of the draft. I was hearing high interest in (the) early second round, and I could have snuck in the first round, but it wasn’t a gamble to take.”
The 6-foot-8 Pewaukee, Wisconsin, native made his name as a high-volume perimeter threat with the Cyclones, averaging nearly 43% from 3-point range across three seasons, including almost 49% last year.
Momcilovic said the most consistent messaging from teams was straightforward; his shot makes him valuable, but if he wants to last at the highest level he must prove he can defend against it.
“Obviously, they said I’m a good shooter, that’s obviously my strength,” Momcilovic said. “I think the biggest question I had was, ‘Can you defend at that level?’ I’m a, I would say, average defender, but going to the NBA, those guys are elite at what they do.”
That feedback has become a sort of summer checklist.
The 2026 All-Big 12 second-teamer said he has spent more time in the weight room than he previously had, placing an emphasis on building strength and improving his quickness, changes Momcilovic said can impact both ends of the floor.
“I feel like I’ve put a lot more hours in there than I have,” Momcilovic said. “Just getting my body right, adding a couple more pounds of muscle, getting quicker, getting faster. I think that’s going to be big for me…That’s just going to help me a lot on offense and defense.”
Pope has spoken plainly about what Momcilovic’s shooting can do for a roster built around spacing, and Momcilovic said the “green light” he’s been given to shoot — Pope has said he’d like Momcilovic to shoot 10 3-pointers a game — comes with an expectation that he will keep the Wildcat offense efficient.
“He holds the guys accountable,” Momcilovic said. “If you shoot a bad shot, he’s going to let you know. I think that’s really cool, because he wants the best offense possible. So if you’re throwing up jump passes, turning it over, throwing up bad shots, he’s going to let you know, and he’s going to make you run for those things…We want to be one of the more efficient offenses in the country this year.”
Besides the offensive freedom, Kentucky’s tradition was part of the recruiting pitch, but he framed the move as relationship-based as opposed to brand-drive — while acknowledging that an additional year of visibility and NIL opportunities aren’t necessarily a negative. He noted that the brighter spotlight of Kentucky was immediate.
“I think it helps coming from a really good fan base at Iowa State, shoutout them,” Momcilovic said. “But I think Kentucky, when I committed…my social media grew tremendously, like 10K on Instagram and Twitter. And obviously, I like that. More followers. I think that was really cool.”
The attention, though, won’t get in the way of his mission. Momcilovic said he’s comfortable filtering the noise — even at a program where its volume can change rapidly depending on the outcome of a game. He pointed to conversations with returning Kentucky center Malachi Moreno, who also dipped his toe into the NBA Draft waters before deciding to return for a sophomore campaign and offered some perspective on tuning out the outside criticism after last season.
“You’re always going to have haters at the end of the day,” Momcilovic said. “You’re always going to have trolls on the internet, but you just gotta block it out if you see it…It just doesn’t really matter.”
Though Momcilovic and Moreno did not talk during the predraft process, the veteran said Moreno’s return to UK did factor into his own decision, and said that the value of a passing big was “really important” for any offense.
“He kind of gave his expertise on what he liked at Kentucky,” Momcilovic said. “...(I) asked him some questions on what he sees, and how I can help.”
Momcilovic has also leaned on a new Kentucky staffer who has played at the next level. He praised assistant coach Mo Williams as someone who could provide direct and honest feedback about what it takes to translate to the league.
“He’s played at that level,” Momcilovic said. “So he can really give me his expertise on what I can do better, how I can improve, so I can play at that level.”
One of nine new players on the 2026-27 roster, Momcilovic wasn’t recruited by any blue bloods out of high school. Now a member of a team he said he believes does, already, “mesh well,” the season ahead still circles back to the same objective that guided his spring — develop, learn and play well enough to make his NBA decision obvious next time.
“It was the right decision,” Momcilovic said of returning to school. “But, at the end of the day, the goal is to go to the NBA next year…Hopefully I have a good year and get myself in the first round again.”
