Milan Mocilovic Will Face Immense Pressure Living up To Price Tag

The Kentucky Wildcats paid a pretty penny to land Milan Momcilovic in the transfer portal.

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) speaks during the postgame press conference after the game against the Kentucky Wildcats during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

In a college basketball world where we see players flying from team to team, rosters getting taken apart, and money getting tossed around, we saw many players move from team to team with the hopes of bettering their careers. The Iowa State Cyclones were not exempt from this.

But there was no bigger saga than former Cyclones star Milan Momcilovic, who ended up making a big-time move.

It all started when Momcilovic, a junior, elected to enter the NBA Draft after a successful season where he averaged 16.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, while shooting an electric 48.7% from three. He was one of Iowa State’s best players and was a key to the Cyclones’ Sweet Sixteen run.

There was a whole debate on whether he would remain in the draft or return to college. For a guy who has essentially proven everything at the collegiate level, many thought that staying in the draft would be smart. However, he would make a lot more money returning to college, as the rise of NIL is starting to take over the majority of NBA rookie salaries.

Can Milan Momcilovic meet expectations?

Mar 27, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) reacts in the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers during a Sweet Sixteen game of the Midwest Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Momcilovic elected to return for another year of college and decided to commit and sign to the Kentucky Wildcats, a move that didn’t seem super shocking. That’s because Kentucky reportedly gave Momcilovic a record amount of NIL money.

He was a must-get for Kentucky, a team that struggled in the offseason to get talent in. But the reported price north of $6 million is a hefty price tag for any collegiate athlete.

So is Momcilovic actually worth the price? It’s hard to determine based on what we currently know.

Momcilovic had a great season for the Cyclones. He was one of their best players, someone who could shoot the lights out, had an amazing fadeaway, and was good at finishing around the rim. He was a true unicorn, and has been for his three years with Iowa State. But while Momcilovic has intrigue, he also has his moments that question his price.

While Momcilovic was consistently great from deep, he had games late in the season where he seemed almost invisible. For an offense that revolved around getting him open looks, his off games became big issues, and the Cyclones struggled to win games when Momcilovic didn’t help.

Wildcats head coach Mark Pope has to make sure that he plays Momcilovic in the right way. He has to make him a key option, but not the only option. If he plays too much of a motion offense, then Momcilovic may become less of a threat than in a different style.

So yes, Momcilovic is still probably worthy of his hefty price, but only if Kentucky uses him in the right way. If they can put him in the right system that allows him to flourish, he’s certainly worthy of the high price tag.