Milan Momcilovic, Malachi Moreno, and Four Other Names You Need to Watch This Week at the NBA Combine

The NBA Combine hits Chicago this week, and it's not just about scouts getting a live look at talent. For some of the top prospects in this draft class, it's the final audition before they make the biggest decision of their basketball lives: stay in the draft or head back to campus.

This is real stakes stuff. The deadline to officially withdraw and keep college eligibility is May 27 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Unless you've got a guarantee in the top 20, you're probably making more money running it back in college for another year, especially with NIL deals in the mix. So who are the names keeping everyone up at night this week?

The Ones Everyone's Watching

Milan Momcilovic from Iowa State is arguably the best shooter in this entire draft class, and he's also the top available player in the college basketball transfer portal. He's trying to lock in his first-round status at the Combine. Then there's Michigan's Morez Johnson Jr. and Arizona's Koa Peat, both already mocked as first-rounders by CBS Sports. All three would be All-Americans if they went back to school.

Peat, specifically, could be the most impactful returnee in college basketball if he decides to come back. If he sharpens his outside shot, scouts think he's a top-five pick next summer. Tommy Lloyd has a spot waiting for him at Arizona, and the Wildcats would be a top-five team in America with Peat back in the lineup. National Player of the Year conversation? He'd be right there.

Kentucky Has Everything on the Line

The Wildcats met with Momcilovic's representatives last week. They've also got soon-to-be sophomore Malachi Moreno going through the draft process. Moreno's projected as a second-round pick right now, but he's been rising through the pre-draft process. Here's the thing: Kentucky's entire outlook changes if Moreno comes back and if they can land Momcilovic. But multiple dominoes have to fall the right way.

The Fence Sitters

Baylor transfer Tounde Yessoufou and Alabama's Amari Allen are the guys truly on the fence. Four spots just opened up because UConn's Braylon Mullins, Florida's Thomas Haugh, Duke's Patrick Ngongba II, and Arizona's Motiejus Krivas all returned to school without going through the Combine. A strong performance this week for Yessoufou could scare off transfer portal suitors. Alabama desperately needs a second year of Allen if it wants to compete for the SEC Championship.

The Combine starts this week. Watch these names closely. The decisions they make could reshape college basketball.

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