Milan Momcilovic wasted no time showing why Kentucky wanted him in Lexington.
In his debut for the Wildcats, the Iowa State transfer put up 16 points, hit 4 of 7 shots from three-point range and grabbed seven rebounds in Kentucky’s 69-49 exhibition win over Little Rock. The game didn’t count, but the performance still gave Big Blue Nation a clear look at what he can do.
The shooting was the headliner, because that’s the part of Momcilovic’s game that bends a defense. He knocked down clean looks, he buried difficult ones, and one transition three after a behind-the-back move brought the loudest reaction of the night in Rupp Arena. He said his aim is to take double-digit threes every game, and this was a strong first step toward that style of offense.
Kentucky head coach Mark Pope didn’t sound surprised.
“He’s going to be really important for our team,” Pope said. “You can’t rush him.
He doesn’t take bad shots because every shot he takes is impossible. He just makes impossible shots.
His shot selection was really hard tonight. He just makes it.”
Momcilovic also showed a little more of the full package. Kentucky scored first when he used his shoulder to create space, turned, and dropped in a one-handed floater in the lane.
Pope wants to see more of that, especially when Momcilovic operates in the post. He also attacked downhill a few times and showed up on the glass, with two of his rebounds coming on the offensive end.
That rebounding effort matters to him. He averaged 3.2 rebounds per game across his three seasons with the Cyclones, and after the game he joked, “I’m just trying not to average three rebounds again this year,”
Still, the shooting is what makes him different. Defenders have to stay attached to him, because he needs only a tiny bit of space to let it fly. And if one doesn’t go down, the next attempt doesn’t seem to shake him.
“He makes shots, and if he misses shots, he’s like I’m sure I’ll make the next one, so let’s get it up,” Pope told Tom Leach on postgame radio. “He’s the least stressful scorer I’ve ever been around in my life.”
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