When news broke that Milan Momcilovic would be joining Kentucky Basketball, everyone was feeling much better about where the roster was headed.
But now that he is here, the question becomes where he plays and how Kentucky utilizes the roster they have in the best way? There are quite a few interesting dynamics that could play out that give Kentucky quite a few options to play.
There is a small ball lineup with a small center, a lineup with no one smaller than 6’4, a defensive lineup where 1-5 can be
switched, and a lineup of 3 guys who all shot it over 40% from deep at some point in their college career. There really is no shortage of options for Mark Pope, but one really stands out to me.
Kentucky Basketball’s best lineup options with Milan Momcilovic
Malachi Moreno’s starting spot is safe. Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins probably both start, but there is a world where one comes in off the bench to spell the other and play together just a little. My guess is Pope starts them together. But as they say, it doesn’t matter who starts, but who closes.
Spacing lineup
If Kentucky decides to downgrade and put spacing all over the floor, they could potentially be lethal from deep. 4 guys who are all over 38%, and Wilkins, who could see a big jump in his percentage as a sophomore.
- PG Alex Wilkins (32% from deep, but a great downhill driver)
- SG Jerone Morton (38% from deep last year)/Braydon Hawthorne (good shooter in high school and in practice, waiting to see if the shooting is there in games)
- SF Kam Williams (41% from deep as a freshman)
- PF Milan Momcilovic (48% from deep last year)
- C Justin McBride (40% from deep last year)
Now that lineup can get bullied on the defensive end, especially down low. Momcilovic would be really thin. But McBride could battle down low with a bigger center if he had to. But if Kentucky gets behind and the other team has a bigger center, you could see this lineup hit the floor because they could play 5 out and just drive consistently and force someone to stop Zoom, who is lethal around the rim, or leave shooters who can all make it from behind the line.
Big lineup
If Kentucky wants to go really tall, they have an option to do so.
- PG 6’4 Zoom Diallo
- SG 6’8 Kam Williams
- SF 6’8 Milan Momcilovic
- PF 6’11 Ousmane N’Diaye
- C 7’0 Malachi Moreno (he is probably closer to 6’11 but UK lists him at 7)
Now, the foot speed with this lineup isn’t going to be great, but you still have 3 shooters in Williams and Momcilovic, and post-up options at each position. I don’t know if we’ll ever see this lineup, but it’s there if Pope decides to do it.
Defensive switching lineup
Maybe you want to close a game out on the defensive end, and you don’t want to worry about the pick-and-roll abusing you like it did so many times last year. Well, Kentucky has the option to put a lineup on the floor that would allow them to switch 1-5.
- PG Alex Wilkins
- SG Jerone Morton
- SF Braydon Hawthorne
- PF Kam Williams
- C Ousmane N’Diaye
Again, rebounding would be a team effort here, but the defensive versatility would be something to watch. I am not sure if Pope would want to run a trap, but if he did, this lineup would be great at doing it.
Starting lineup
Ultimately, I think Pope settles on a pretty safe starting lineup that still is going to put Kentucky in the top 20 of the preseason.
- PG Zoom Diallo
- SG Alex Wilkins
- SF Kam Williams
- PF Milan Momcilovic
- C Malachi Moreno
Momcilovic will have to do more rebounding than he did at Iowa State (3 per night), and Moreno will need to improve his assists-to-turnover ratio, but this probably provides the best balance of offense and defense. I would love to see Wilkins and Diallo alternate time at the point, but I don’t think either will want to come off the bench.
Where do you see Pope going? Which lineup do you think would be best?
