What Malachi Moreno’s return means for Kentucky Basketball

Malachi Moreno took the long weekend to let BBN know he would, in fact, be coming back to Kentucky. The Kentucky Basketball big man showed well in NBA Draft workouts and got some good feedback from a couple of teams in the back end of the first round.

However, it wasn’t enough to get a promise to be taken in that first round, and because of college NIL, a return to Kentucky made more sense than jumping to the G League.

But as much as it means for Moreno and his ability to improve, it means more to Kentucky.

Kentucky Basketball gets deeper and better

Kentucky recruited Reece Potter last season. He took a redshirt year to develop, so he will be kind of an unknown heading into this year. At Miami, he averaged 6.5 points and 3.7 rebounds, while shooting near 40% from deep during his two years with the Redhawks.

The Cats also signed Washington center Franck Kepnang. Kepnang is pretty similar to Moreno when you look at the stats he has put up across his six college seasons. He averaged 5.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks across those injury-ridden seasons.

But injury is clearly a big risk. Kepnang is a big man at 6’11 and 250, with a history of injuries to his legs and knees. Last season, he couldn’t practice down the stretch because of what Washington coach Danny Sprinkle called a “stress reaction” in his leg.

So, the first thing that Moreno’s return does is allow Kepnang to play fewer minutes and lower the injury risk. But it also allows a much better rotation up front. Potter can play in a pick-and-pop role, while Moreno and Kepnang are interchangeable. Kepnang is more physical and defensive, with Moreno a bit more skilled on the offensive end.

The drop off when Moreno came out last season was stark, because you never knew what Brandon Garrison would bring. Sometimes he would go out and get a double-double, and other times a double goose egg.

Much-needed experience in Mark Pope system

This return also gives Pope another voice that has been through the wars of the SEC in his system. Moreno can relay information to players on the court as his coach would, and that kind of experience in Mark Pope’s system is hard to measure.

And we can’t underestimate the impact Moreno also makes as a passer, which allows the offense to be run through him. He quietly had the fourth-most assists on the roster last year (54) and had 16 games with two or more assists. He’s also Kentucky’s leading assist man that’s returning from last season.

While Moreno hasn’t shown the ability to knock down jumpers consistently, his passing will greatly help the offense as a whole.

Before last year, nearly every player who returned in Mark Pope’s system saw improvement. It is why Otega Oweh was pegged as the SEC Preseason Player of the Year.

And it’s not just good news for Kentucky.

The opportunity for a lottery contract

With such a deep draft class, Moreno was fighting an uphill battle to break into that first round. Another year in college gives him a chance to take the NBA’s advice, put it in motion, and train his body.

Moreno will be stronger, his body will fill out more, and his skills will improve. His stats will jump up, and if Kentucky has a remotely successful year, Moreno will strongly be in the lottery discussion.

Talented big men are always coveted in the NBA, and Moreno has a chance to really shine at Kentucky next season. This is clearly a win for the program, BBN, and Moreno himself.

This will also be a great chance for Pope to prove he can take a talented high school prospect and develop him into a first-round draft pick, something that many have questioned if he could do, and potentially even led to some promising high school talent landing elsewhere when decision time comes.

Pope has the perfect opportunity to show the world he can develop talent to a level needed to succeed at the highest level of the sport.

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