When Kentucky basketball’s Malachi Moreno began testing the NBA Draft waters, most fans and analysts believed it was just to get feedback on what he needed to do better in his second year in college. But the five-star freshman may have other ideas, and it seems that NBA teams do as well.
After working out with the New York Knicks, who have the 24th pick in the NBA Draft, it was announced that Moreno would not be participating in the 5-on-5 drills at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. That kind of opt-out has not really been seen as a positive indicator that a player is thinking of heading back to college, although a lot could change between now and the end of May.
such as Zach Edey, opted out shortly before making the call to stay in the draft. It’s hard to gauge, and most often, this comes down to a player-to-player basis.
Some additional notable exceptions are Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson and Florida’s Alex Condon, who both skipped the 5-on-5 drills and ultimately returned to college. The latter represents the exact sort of formula that Kentucky fans are hoping Moreno replicates.
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