What position will Mark Pope have Milan Momcilovic play this season at Kentucky?

How is Mark Pope going to play Milan Momcilovic this season?

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) celebrates after a play during the second half 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

Mark Pope made a splash addition to the 2026-27 roster, adding Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic. This addition officially has Big Blue Nation excited about the season, as fans believe that now this roster is a true contender.

Momcilovic is known as a three-point shooter as he shot 48.7% from three on 7.5 attempts per game last season for the Cyclones while leading them in scoring, averaging 16.9 per contest. Momcilovic is the best three-point shooter in all of college basketball, but he does struggle in some other areas. While he is 6’8 Momcilovic only averaged 3.1 rebounds per game last season, and he isn’t an elite defender.

Mar 27, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) looks to pass while defended by Tennessee Volunteers guard Bishop Boswell (3) in the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the Midwest Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

These two concerns are why many Kentucky fans are interested in knowing how Coach Pope is going to play the sharpshooter. BBN is split on their opinions on how Pope should play Momcilovic, as some believe he should play the four while others want him to play the three.

In my opinion, Momcilovic should play the three. This would help Pope get him more shots from deep, but would also make it easier to hide him on defense. I want the three, four, five for this Kentucky team to be Momcilovic at the three, Ousmane N’Diaye at the four, and Malachi Moreno at the five. This, to me, would be the best lineup for the Wildcats to be really good on both ends of the floor.

Predicting this to be the lineup for the Wildcats assumes that N’Diaye is going to have a really good offseason and prove that he has to be in the starting five. If he does not do this, I could see a world where Kam Williams plays at the three and Momcilovic moves over to the four.

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope speaks during the postgame press conference after the game against the Iowa State Cyclones 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

Whether at the three or the four, Momcilovic is going to have a great season shooting the basketball. All of my concerns with him come on the defensive end of the floor. Analytically, Momcilovic’s numbers weren’t bad on defense, but I believe this was boosted by how good the Cyclones were at defense as a whole.

However, Coach Pope can get Momcilovic shots but making sure that he isn’t a glaring hole on defense is going to be the way that he makes the starting five. This will be something for fans to pay attention to over the next few months of the offseason.

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