A new 2027 mock draft has Kentucky's Malachi Moreno as a lottery pick

Malachi Moreno elected to return to the Kentucky Wildcats this season after testing the NBA draft waters. Most predictions had him as an early second round pick, which means returning to school and increasing his draft stock is the smart move.

Moreno is expected to have a big 2026-27 season and coach Mark Pope has called him the best center in the nation. This has him already projected in many early 2027 mock drafts as a first round pick, but one recent mock has him going much higher, all the way inside the draft lottery.

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic recently wrote a new mock draft, and has Moreno going with the 11th overall pick. He had this to say about the Kentucky sophomore:

Moreno declared for the 2026 draft but returned to Kentucky after an interesting freshman season. On the plus side, Moreno is a good shot-blocker and has potential to be a solid rim protector at 6 feet 11 with a 9-foot-3.5 standing reach. Offensively, he’s an excellent passer who averaged 1.8 assists per game and can act as something of a hub at the top of the key because of his comfort with the ball. Moreno needs to get stronger and more willing to play with physicality on the interior.

Moreno declared for the 2026 draft but returned to Kentucky after an interesting freshman season. On the plus side, Moreno is a good shot-blocker and has potential to be a solid rim protector at 6 feet 11 with a 9-foot-3.5 standing reach. Offensively, he’s an excellent passer who averaged 1.8 assists per game and can act as something of a hub at the top of the key because of his comfort with the ball. Moreno needs to get stronger and more willing to play with physicality on the interior.

Moreno’s size and upside are enough to get him noticed by NBA teams, who are always looking for skilled big men. If he can improve the weaker parts of his game this season, it’s almost a lock for him to go in the first 20 picks. If he is as good as his coach thinks he is, then the sky is the limit.