This one improvement will make Malachi Moreno a superstar for the Kentucky Wildcats

For a little while, Big Blue Nation was starting to worry that freshman center Malachi Moreno could stay in the NBA Draft after his name was flying up the mock drafts. This was a concern for Coach Mark Pope, but last Sunday, Moreno announced that he will be back in his home state to play his sophomore season for the Kentucky Wildcats.

Moreno wasn’t expected to see a ton of time as a freshman. The plan was for him to back up Brandon Garrison while Jayden Quaintance got healthy. Quaintance only played in a few games, and early in the season, Moreno proved he was much better than Garrison. This meant the Kentucky native was the Wildcats' starting center, and as a freshman, he put up impressive numbers.

In his freshman season, Moreno averaged 7.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game. These numbers are going to skyrocket in his sophomore season, and I believe that he could be closer to averaging a double-double than many imagine.

Mar 7, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno (24) passes the ball during the first half against the Florida Gators at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

There is one thing that Moreno is really going to have to work on this offseason if he is going to take the big leap, and that is his physicality. There were a few games in the non-conference, SEC play, and the NCAA Tournament where he got pushed around a little bit down low, and that can’t happen next season.

Step one for this fix for Moreno will be to put on some muscle this offseason. He is listed at 250, but I don’t think as a seven-footer that adding a few more pounds of muscle would be the worst thing in the world. Moreno is a really nice guy off the floor, but there are sometimes when it seems like he takes that with him on the floor. The Wildcats need Moreno to play mean on the floor, so this will be something for him to work on over the summer.

There are some centers in the SEC who just play the game angry, and that is a must to make it in the toughest league in college basketball. Moreno has all of the skill in the world to have a great season and be a first-round pick in the NBA Draft. This raw talent is great, but the seven-footer from Georgetown needs to start playing angry if he is going to make the step to the next level. A very good season lies ahead for the seven-footer.

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