Malachi Moreno's Freshman Year Outperformed Flory Bidunga's, and Rob Dauster Is Ready to BET On It

Alright, Seattle, listen up, because Rob Dauster just dropped a take on the college hoops scene that's going to make some serious waves. We're talking about Malachi Moreno, the big man, who apparently flirted with the NBA but thankfully stuck around. Now, an analyst is saying he's not just good, he's going to be better than Flory Bidunga next season! Yeah, you heard that right. Dauster, speaking on the Field of 68, didn't hold back, saying, “I’m gonna plant my flag on Moreno island and say he’ll be better this season than Flory Bidunga. I’m betting on a Malachi Moreno breakout season.” That's a bold claim, especially with all the buzz around Bidunga, who got paid big by Louisville when he left Kansas.

Moreno's Freshman Numbers Are Underrated

You might be looking at Moreno's freshman stats and thinking, "Huh?" And yeah, 7.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.3 turnovers per game on 58.2% shooting aren't exactly eye-popping next to Bidunga's 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 turnovers on 64% shooting last season. But here's the kicker, the real deep-dive stat that Dauster might be cluing into: Bidunga's freshman year? He averaged 5.9 points and 5.4 rebounds a night. Think about that for a second. Moreno's freshman numbers were actually better than what Bidunga put up in his own first year! Plus, Moreno logged way fewer minutes, only 22.6 per game compared to Bidunga's 31.6. Moreno was probably thrown into the fire early, playing a key role when he wasn't expecting to, because Jayden Quaintance only played in 4 games and Brandon Garrison was, let's just say, "ineffective too often." That changes the whole picture, doesn't it?

The Path to a Monster Sophomore Season

So, where does Moreno make the leap? The biggest things are his body, his strength, and his hands. As a freshman, he got pushed around a bit on defense by those physical centers. He came into Kentucky at 250 pounds, but get this: at the NBA Combine, he was down to 242. Now, before you panic, losing 8 pounds while building muscle is exactly what top prospects do in a college weight program. It's a huge sign he's taking his physicality seriously, and you know that's going to pay off. His hands need work too, after struggling with some catches, but that's teachable stuff, and you gotta believe he's grinding on that all summer long.

Then there's the Mark Pope offense. Pope loves an inverted center at the top, dishing passes to cutters. When Moreno had more than 4 assists last season, Kentucky was 3-2, with those two losses being by a combined 8 points! Imagine if he can get his assists up to just 3.5 a game with shooters like Kam Williams, Justin McBride, Milan Momcilovic, and Jerone Morton (all over 38% from deep!) and guards like Alex Wilkins and Zoom Diallo attacking the paint. That would be an absolute game-changer for the team. We've seen flashes, now we just gotta wait and see how big that Year 2 jump actually is. What do you think, Seattle On Tap faithful? Will Moreno break out like Dauster thinks?

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.