Three Kentucky Wildcats have been invited to the NBA Combine

The NBA combine will be held from May 10th through May 17th in Chicago, Illinois, and three Wildcats will represent Kentucky. Those three players are Malachi Moreno, Otega Oweh, and Jayden Quaintance. This event is going to be very important for Quaintance and Oweh, but most Kentucky fans feel that Moreno is getting feedback and will be back in Lexington for another season.

Quaintance has a ton to gain right now as he only played in a few games this season after his surgically repaired knee swelled. There has been a video over the last few days of Quaintance looking really good, like his knee is back at 100%. Knowing JQ didn’t put much on film this year, the combine is going to be very important for him.

Jan 7, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Jayden Quaintance (21) reacts after a play during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Heading into this season, Quaintance was supposed to be a top five pick in the draft, but his injury has him falling in many mock drafts. One NBA team is going to get a steal with Quaintance if they get him around 15. That is where it seems the super athletic defender will go in the draft, unless he puts up massive numbers at the combine. This is why the combine will be so important for Quaintance.

Oweh also needs to do well at the combine, but the NBA scouts will be looking at his three-point shooting. It is no secret that the feedback he got last year from the NBA was that his shooting needs to improve. Big Blue Nation felt much more confident in the way Oweh shot the ball from deep despite still having the hitch in his jumpshot.

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) dunks during the second half against the Iowa State Cyclones during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

If Oweh does well at the combine shooting the three-ball, this could help him sneak into the back of the draft, but if he isn’t able to do this, more than likely, he will not be selected.

Kentucky fans need to hope that Moreno is going to be back in Lexington next season because if he is not, I have no idea what the Wildcats are going to do at the five. I don’t see a way in the world that Moreno won’t be back in Lexington, but I think with one more good season at Kentucky, he could be an NBA player.

There are a ton of narratives surrounding Kentucky players at this year's NBA combine, so this will be something for Big Blue Nation to pay attention to over the next few weeks.

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