Where Does Iowa State Cyclones' Milan Momcilovic Rank Amongst His Positional Peers?

Where did Milan Momcilovic rank amongst players at his position in college basketball?

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The Iowa State Cyclones look like they are going to be one of the best teams in the nation during the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season.

Head coach T.J. Otzelberger has done a wonderful job of creating an identity in his first four seasons at the helm. He has turned the Cyclones into a defensive juggernaut, stifling opponents on that end of the court. Getting stops has become the key to their team winning games on the hardwood.

However, it takes more than a good defense to find success. Points have to be scored. Where those buckets will come from for Iowa State this year will be something to keep an eye on because of how much scoring talent the team lost. One player who will see his role expand is forward Milan Momcilovic.

Milan Momcilovic Is One of Best Forwards in the Country

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Isaac Trotter of CBS Sports recently went through the country and selected the best players at each position. However, with the ever-expanding way basketball is played, the positions have moved beyond the traditional guard, forward and center. It is more in-depth than point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and center at this point.

Trotter broke things down into 10 different positions to better encapsulate what coaches are asking of their players on the court. Momcilovic was listed as an off-ball wing/4. Essentially, this is a glue guy to the team’s frontcourt production.

“These wings can guard multiple positions, but they tend to have a smaller role offensively, usually operating as a spacer, cutter or play-finisher. Think Alex Karaban (spoiler!),” he wrote.

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The UConn Huskies star was actually the No. 1-ranked player at this role in his breakdown. While he didn’t make the top five, Momcilovic is someone Trotter believes has a strong case to be in the rankings. And it is easy to see why.

Last season as a sophomore, he saw his role scaled back slightly. After playing 30.2 minutes per game as a freshman, he played only 27.5 during the 2024-25 campaign. Despite that, many of his statistics increased as a result of his usage rate going from 18.3% to 19.9%. That could very well happen again with Keshon Gilbert and Curtis Jones no longer on the team.

Milan Momcilovic Has Elite Two-Way Skills

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Momcilovic is going to be a key cog in the Cyclones' success this season on both ends of the floor. Standing 6-foot-8 and weighing 220 pounds, he has the size to match up with most forwards in college basketball and the athleticism to stick on the perimeter defensively. His job will be much easier on that end of the court, sandwiched between point guard Tamin Lipsey and forward Joshua Jefferson, two of the most elite defensive players in the nation.

On offense, his high basketball IQ shines. As Trotter noted, he isn’t going to have a ton of plays drawn up for him. Depending on the lineup, he will likely be the No. 3 option most of the time on offense. That means he has to find ways to make an impact without the ball in his hands, something he showed improvement in last year.

Momcilovic improved his 3-point shooting, knocking down 39.6% of his 5.7 attempts per game. His true shooting percentage improved to 57.4%. That directly led to his Offensive Box Plus/Minus increasing to 3.2 from 2.3 despite playing in nine fewer games and logging 346 fewer minutes.

In Year 3 with Iowa State, it is time for him to take that next step in his production. Another improvement, similar to what he showed in Year 2 from Year 1, would help keep the Cyclones in the mix in the uber-competitive Big 12.