Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats got some massive news on Sunday evening as star center Malachi Moreno is pulling his name out of the NBA Draft and will return for another season in Lexington. When Moreno originally put his name in the draft to test the waters, BBN didn’t think there was any shot that he would be staying in the draft.
This was the belief, but then things between NBA teams and Moreno turned up as he started to climb up some mock drafts. The final date to withdraw your name from the NBA Draft is early next week. Big Blue Nation thought they would have to sweat this decision out some more, but Moreno made his decision this evening to save fans some chest pains.
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Last season, heading into the year, not many Kentucky fans expected Moreno to have a large role. The thought was that while Jayden Quaintance worked back from his injury, Moreno would back up Brandon Garrison, but from the first game of the season, it was clear Moreno was the better option.
This year, the freshman seven-footer averaged 7.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game. Many figure all four of those numbers will jump next season as Moreno is going to put on some muscle in the offseason and get much more physical.
In the postseason, Moreno didn’t play all that well as he struggled to pull down boards and lost the physicality battle more times than not, but these are easy fixes. Watching Moreno play as a true freshman, it was clear that he is going to be a star in the future, and there is a real shot that next year is his last at Kentucky.
Mar 12, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno (24) lays the ball in against the Missouri Tigers during the first half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Moreno had a message for Big Blue Nation that he shared after pulling his name out of the NBA Draft, and that message was: “BBN, I’m home. Job isn’t finished.” Moreno seems to really love playing for his hometown school, and I believe his decision to return for another year at Kentucky was a good one.
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Kentucky fans should be very happy to see that Moreno was creating some buzz among NBA teams because this proves what everyone is thinking: his best basketball is still ahead of him. No one should be surprised if Moreno has a stat line that, looks like 12 ppg, 9rpg, 3 apg, and 2 bpg as a sophomore. This is massive news for the 2026-27 season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/kentucky as Malachi Moreno will be back in Lexington for his sophomore season at Kentucky .
