NBA Draft Scouting Report: Kentucky’s Malachi Moreno

The NBA offseason is flying by, and organizations are surely getting a jump-start on scouting for the 2027 NBA Draft.

Kentucky big Malachi Moreno was a player on the fringe of entering the '26 draft, but ultimately opted for a return to the Wildcats for his sophmore season. Now, he offers one of the top frontcourt options in the upcomig season.

Below is the quick scouting report for Moreno:

Position: Center

College: Kentucky

Class: Sophomore

Height: 7-foot

Weight: 243

Draft age: 20.7

Strengths:

Size and Length

Moreno was one of a few returning bigs to have gone through the NBA Draft combine, getting official measurements on his height, wingspan, standing reach and plenty more. He came back at a sizable 6-foot-11 without shoes — making him a legit 7-footer on-court — with a great 7-foot-1 wingspan.

Rim-Protection and Defensive Impact

The best additive overall for Moreno was a freshman was his rim-protection and defense in general. He racked up 1.5 blocks per game in just 22.6 minutes per contest, able to put a lid on the rim and alter shots in the paint. Moreno also isn’t the slowest-footed big, able to guard in space well.

If he’s able to improve on his overall numbers and continue to refine the edges of his defense game, he should be one of the better defensive players in the country.

Play-Finishing

Moreno’s offense came almost entirely via play-finishing. He scored 7.8 points per game with the Wildcats, cutting, gathering put-backs, posting up and rolling in the pick-and-roll. He’s a big target with a fine catch radius, and did well putting himself in position to score without being a focal point.

Passing and Play-Making

In more limited time than his drafted peers, Moreno was able to rack up nearly two assists per game. He has solid court-vision for his position, able to hit open cutters and shooters, and function in the pick-and-roll as a play-making big.

With a year under his belt, this area of his game could especially blossom in Year 2.

Areas of Improvement:

Floor-Spacing

Moreno is an essential non-shooter at this point, having taken just three triples in his freshman season and missing on all of them. It won’t be a must to be drafted, but scouts and decision-makers will be curious to see if Moreno attempted to space the floor as a sophomore, especially with his 70% free throw mark.

Outlook:

Moreno is one of the more interesting bigs in the class given his combination of size and feel, defensive impact and ability to score without commanding the ball. As of now, he should be looked at as one of the best frontcourt options available.

Still, he’ll need to continue improving as a sophomore for NBA decision-makers to value him as a first-round pick, be it in the lottery or later.

Projected Range: Late-Lottery to Late-First

NBA Role: Two-Way Big

Swing Skills: Shooting

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