Milan Momcilovic knows exactly what Kentucky needs from him this season.
The 6-foot-9 forward has already established himself as one of the most dangerous shooters on Mark Pope’s roster, but he does not want his impact to end there.
Speaking during Kentucky’s media day, Momcilovic explained that much of his offseason development has centered on defense, an area that received significant attention during the NBA Draft process.
“A lot of it was defense-focused,” Momcilovic said. “I think they kind of know what I am gonna get from an offensive perspective. I’m a shooter.”
That evaluation appears to have motivated the Kentucky transfer.
Momcilovic understands that teams already know what he can provide from the perimeter. The next step is showing that he can become a dependable defender capable of handling some of the best players in the SEC.
“Whoever the superstar is, that is the next step,” he said. “I have to guard the superstars, and I am gonna do it.”
That mentality could be extremely important for Kentucky.
The Wildcats have plenty of offensive firepower entering the season, with several players capable of stretching defenses and creating their own shots. But if Pope’s team wants to take a major step forward, it will need to become much more reliable defensively.
Momcilovic understands that.
“I think something about this team is: can we defend?” he said. “Obviously, we got a lot of really good shooters and scorers, but we need to play defense, so I think I take a lot of pride in that side of the court too.”
His offensive development is also going beyond the three-point line.
Momcilovic wants to become more comfortable attacking the basket and finding easier scoring opportunities when defenders run him off the perimeter.
“I am hoping this year I can get some easy twos at the rim,” he said. “I think that’s gonna open my game up a lot more. I can make it easier for myself…make it so I average a couple more points and just open up a little bit of everything.”
That could make him considerably harder to defend.
If opponents close out aggressively on his three-point shot, Momcilovic wants to punish them by attacking the rim. If they back off, he has the shooting ability to make them pay from deep.
For Kentucky, that versatility could become a major weapon.
Momcilovic has already proven that he can shoot at a high level. Now, he is determined to show that he can defend, attack the basket and impact games even when his jumper is not falling.
If he makes that jump, Kentucky may have far more than just a knockdown shooter on its hands.
