Why Milan Momcilovic Changes the Geometry of Kentucky's Offense

Every Kentucky offense has a signature. This season's starts with one number: 48.7. That was Milan Momcilovic's 3-point percentage at Iowa State last season, the best in the country. He also made 136 threes, the most in Iowa State history for a single season. Here's why that matters so much for what Mark Pope is building.

**The resume**
Momcilovic averaged 16.9 points for the Cyclones while shooting 50.6 percent from the field and 87.8 percent at the line. ESPN ranked him the No. 1 transfer on the market, and he was named preseason All-SEC before playing a game in Lexington.

**What "gravity" means**
Coaches talk about shooters having gravity, meaning defenders get pulled toward them even when they don't have the ball. A 48.7 percent shooter on that kind of volume can't be left open, not for a second. That puts the defense in a bind:
- If his defender helps on a drive, Momcilovic is open for one of the best catch-and-shoot looks in the sport.
- If his defender stays home, the paint becomes four-on-four, and Kentucky's guards get more room to attack.
- If a big man is guarding him, that big gets pulled away from the rim. At 6-foot-9, Momcilovic can play the four, and sometimes the five, in smaller lineups.

**Why it fits this roster**
This is where Pope's roster construction makes sense. Kentucky has three true centers at 7-0 or taller in Malachi Moreno, Franck Kepnang and Reece Potter. Big lineups often get clogged, because two bigs and a non-shooting forward let defenses pack the lane. Momcilovic fixes that. Pair him with Moreno and you have size on the glass and a floor-spacer who keeps the paint open for post touches and rolls to the rim.

**The early evidence**
In the exhibition opener against Little Rock, Momcilovic scored a game-high 16 on 5-of-9 shooting, went 4-of-7 from deep and grabbed seven rebounds. The rebounding matters. One knock on pure shooters is that they disappear on the glass, and seven boards in an exhibition at least suggests he'll compete inside too.

**The challenge**
SEC defenses will throw everything at him: top-locking, switching screens and physical bumps on his cuts. Pope's offense will need counters, like flare screens, Momcilovic setting screens himself, and quick decisions when he's run off the line. The real test is what he does with the ball after a hard closeout. If he can take one dribble and make the right read, he goes from elite shooter to complete offensive weapon.

**The first real test**
Texas Tech, which made more than 11 threes a game last season, was the first regular-season look at how an opponent would handle Momcilovic. Kentucky won 76-65 at Rupp. Expect future opponents to study how Tech defended him, and how Kentucky used the attention he drew to create shots for others.

**What to watch this season**
The simplest test is how defenses guard him away from the ball. If opponents stay attached to Momcilovic on the perimeter, Kentucky's drivers and post players get more room to work. If defenses help off him, he has to make them pay with quick, confident catch-and-shoot attempts. Either way, his presence shapes every possession.

**Our Take:** Kentucky has had great shooters before, but rarely one this efficient on this much volume and rarely one who fits the roster this cleanly. If the guards punish defenses for overplaying him, Momcilovic could be the piece that turns Pope's system from interesting into dangerous.

Sources: UK Athletics, Momcilovic signing release · Iowa State Athletics, Momcilovic bio · ESPN Kentucky roster · WKYT, Little Rock recap · UK Athletics, Texas Tech preview · BlueBook, Texas Tech game day