Momcilovic’s return to college hoops in different threads

The No.

1 transfer recruit in the transfer class of 2026, Milan Momcilovic, withdrew his name from NBA draft considerations after going through the NBA draft combine workouts.

Momcilovic decided to return to college basketball for another year.

Momcilovic will not be coming back to the Cyclones but has committed to play for the University of Kentucky for the 2026-27 season.

The big two questions are: did Momcilovic make the right decision in returning to college basketball, and will he be able to flourish on a new team? My answer would be yes and yes.

First, we have to examine why it was a better decision for Momcilovic to return to college basketball and not take his chances with the draft yet.

Momcilovic has made it clear that he wants to go to the NBA; the timing may just not be right for him this season.

Momcilovic was projected to be a second-round pick in the 2026 NBA draft before withdrawing his name.

Momcilovic had by far his best season yet as a Cyclone.

He averaged nearly 17 points per game and led the NCAA in 3-point percentage off a high volume of attempts, shooting 48.7% from three.

From the eyes of an NBA scout, his size at 6-foot-8 and his versatile shooting ability are clearly a big upside for his NBA potential.

With that being said, there are areas of Momcilovics game that, if sharpened up, will boost his stock.

Boosting Momcilovics rebounding numbers on both ends is needed to be a key contributor in the best league in the world, the NBA, which is how teams win major games down the stretch.

Being able to defend all types of scorers in the NBA is how players on the fringe of making it can stay afloat in a league that is very difficult to stay in for second-round draft picks.

The reality is that it would have been difficult for Momcilovic to have been a rotational guy on an NBA roster.

Going back for another year will allow him to develop his ability to defend, rebound and score for another year against high-level talent in the SEC.

Another way to view it is the amount of money that is being made.

While the numbers for a two-way or rookie contract for the NBA range from $600,000 to $3 million, it is safe to say that Momcilovic will make more money guaranteed at Kentucky, with some sources claiming he will make anywhere from $5-7 million in NIL.

The new role with the Wildcats will be a great test for Momcilovic, as he takes over a team that lost its two best scorers, Denzel Aberdeen and Otega Oweh.

Kentucky finished the regular season at 22-14 and lost to the Cyclones in the tournament.

This will be one of the first looks at Momcilovic as the number one option as a scorer on a team, after he shared that role with Joshua Jefferson last season.

Although Momcilovic will not be playing for the Cyclones at Hilton Coliseum, former teammate Tamin Lipsey shared his thoughts on the situation that could reshape Cyclone basketball fans perception of Momcilovics move to Kentucky.

We accomplished a lot of great things, Lipsey said.

Theres no hard feelings to Milan on my side, were best friends, and I just want the best for him.

This type of attitude really reveals the gratitude that Cyclone fans should have towards the sharpshooter who helped win many games in his time in the cardinal and gold..

This article has been shared from the original article on iowastatedaily, here is the link to the original article.