I'd give Milan Momcilovic and Malachi Moreno plenty of minutes together in Kentucky's exhibitions. Put Moreno in a ball screen, leave Momcilovic across the floor and make the defender nearest the basket decide how much help he can afford to give.
Kentucky's August 28 schedule release supplies the reason to try it. Momcilovic made 136 threes at 48.7 percent last season before transferring to Kentucky. Moreno returns after starting 30 games and shooting 58.2 percent from the field.
Those season totals make the pairing worth testing. They leave open how the two will handle the timing of a possession together. This is the alignment I'd try and the response I'd watch for when the exhibitions begin.
Make the help defender travel
Picture a Kentucky guard dribbling on the right side. Moreno comes up to screen, then moves toward the basket. Momcilovic waits in the left corner, across from the ball.
If the guard gets around the screen and draws Moreno's defender, somebody else may have to step toward Moreno to keep the pass from becoming a finish at the rim. A defender stationed near the basket on the opposite side can make that rotation. Coaches often call that player the low man.
Putting Momcilovic in that defender's area would make the rotation expensive. Step toward Moreno, and the guard can look across the floor for Momcilovic. Stay close to the shooter, and Moreno may have more room to receive the ball. The ballhandler has to see the choice early enough to use it.
That pass across the floor is a demand on the guard. A late, floating pass gives the defense time to recover. A pass delivered at Momcilovic's feet may buy the same recovery time. I'd judge the possession by whether he catches ready to shoot, with the defender still traveling toward him.
The other two Kentucky players would have jobs, too. If another offensive player stands beside Momcilovic, his defender can help cover the corner. A cutter entering Moreno's path could bring another defender to the rim. I'd start with those players spaced away from the intended roll and passing lane, then see which rotations the defense chooses.
Kentucky needs an answer when the defense switches
A switch can remove the immediate need for that help rotation. If the two defenders exchange assignments cleanly, the guard has neither a free turn toward the basket nor an easy pass to Moreno.
I'd let Moreno try to establish position against the smaller defender after that exchange. Momcilovic's location would still matter. If his defender moves inside to help on the catch, Kentucky needs a clear return pass to the perimeter. If the defense stays attached, Moreno has to make something of the matchup himself.
His 58.2 percent field-goal figure is a full-season result. It does not tell us his efficiency on post-ups, rolls or possessions against a switch. I would want to see those catches before asking Kentucky to build an offense around that answer.
Momcilovic's shooting percentage also belongs to last season. Kentucky can make the pass easier to catch and the closeout longer to cover. It still needs him to make the shot.
October gives the pairing a first look
Kentucky has exhibitions scheduled for October 16, 23 and 28, followed by its November 3 regular-season opener, according to the same official release. I'd use those games to count clean roll catches, catch-ready perimeter passes and possessions where a switch forces Kentucky to start again. A made three after a broken possession would tell me less about this pairing than a missed open shot created by the intended read.
For the program's recruiting context, see CBR's Kentucky page. The connection between a shooter's production and his next role also runs through my look at Chase Lumpkin's Alabama commitment.
I'd start Moreno as the screener and Momcilovic away from the ball. Let the exhibitions show whether Kentucky's guards can deliver both passes before adding more movement.
