Mark Pope and Kentucky are banking on Milan Momcilovic’s three-point stroke for next season

Kentucky’s offseason focus has turned to spacing and perimeter scoring, and the addition of Milan Momcilovic from the transfer portal gives coach Mark Pope a player who fits that plan. According to Yahoo Sports, Pope specifically wants Momcilovic to shoot “a ton of threes” next season, framing the move as both a roster need and a style choice for how Kentucky wants to play.

Momcilovic’s appeal is tied to what he did in the prior season. Yahoo Sports described him as the most efficient shooter in college basketball last season, a label that matters in modern college spacing because it suggests Kentucky is not only adding a high-volume option, but also someone who can make shots at an above-average clip when the offense asks him to produce.

The timing and context also matter. Yahoo Sports reported that in mid-May Kentucky was in a “desperate search” for a star scorer and a shooter, and the program responded by landing Momcilovic. In roster-building terms, that suggests the Wildcats were looking for an immediate offensive impact rather than a longer development project.

Kentucky’s offensive identity under Pope has emphasized purposeful shot selection and creating open looks for the players who can take and make the next shot. A shooter who can be encouraged to fire from deep alters those decisions for the defense, forcing help coverage and making it harder to crowd drives or sag off other players. Momcilovic’s role, as framed by the report, would be central to that dynamic.

There is, of course, a caveat that often comes with encouraging increased three-point volume: efficiency can fluctuate when attempts rise, and shot quality depends on how defenses react to the rest of the roster. Still, the underlying rationale in the report is straightforward. If Momcilovic is indeed the kind of shooter who was exceptionally efficient last season, Kentucky is betting it can sustain enough quality from deep even as the offense leans on him more.

For fans and observers, the early season indicator will likely be how Kentucky uses him within its first-15 seconds of possessions. If the Wildcats quickly reach for his three-point attempts, it would reinforce that Pope’s plan is to build an identity where his spacing is not just incidental, but foundational.

Next, the storyline to watch is whether Momcilovic’s shot diet meshes with Kentucky’s distribution. If Kentucky can consistently create advantages that produce open looks, his requested volume from deep could translate into a reliable offensive pillar rather than a one-dimensional scoring outlet.

At the same time, Kentucky will still need a full-team integration around that perimeter threat, including the players tasked with getting him opportunities and the defenders tasked with managing the spacing he forces. If the Wildcats execute that tradeoff, this transfer could shape how far Kentucky goes in March by widening the range of shots they can generate late in close games.