MORENO IS TIM DUNCAN REINCARNATED!

[CatManFromCa]

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but Malachi Moreno isn’t just ‘a promising big.’
He’s literally the closest thing college basketball has seen to young Tim Duncan since Tim Duncan himself.

Watch the tape.
Not the highlight reels…the actual possessions.
The footwork? Duncan.
The timing? Duncan.
The way he blocks shots WITHOUT LEAVING HIS FEET LIKE A GROWN MAN WHO UNDERSTANDS GEOMETRY?
That’s Duncan‑core behavior.

Moreno has that same ‘I’m not jumping, I’m just going to erase your shot because I understand angles better than your math teacher’ energy.
He’s got the soft touch, the patience, the rebounding instincts, the calmness, the ‘I’m going to casually dominate you without changing my facial expression’ vibe.

And the best part?
He’s doing this as a FRESHMAN in the SEC.
Duncan didn’t even start cooking people until later at Wake Forest.
Moreno is already out here looking like he’s calculating trajectories in real time like a 7‑foot astrophysicist.

 

[BBPirate]

I think you are underselling Moreno

 

[RunninRichie]

The GM BATTALION has found another gem!

 

[BBNSZN914]

Don’t show this to the Knicks.

 

[Beatle Bum]

Tim Duncan died? Damn!!!

 

[CatManFromCa]

I think you are underselling Moreno

Bro…no need to be that way…I spent a LOT of time on YouTube! I may not be the basketball savant some of you egg-headed, muscle-less nerds…but I have watched many years of bball! I’m giving the man real respect, not fairy‑dust hype!

 

[theBlues]

Don't take this as me taking a word of the op seriously but, just so newbies won't be misinformed, Duncan didn't take a while to get it going since he was considered the NBA draft #1 overall pick at the end of his freshman year and the ACC was probably the stronger league back then.

But I really don't see a reason for the op to be heaping all this sarcasm on MM...

 

[Delk4three]

Moreno is a good player, I would say he is one of the worst starting centers we have had for the last 10 + years though.

 

[TheResistance]

I think the Moreno-Shaq comparisons are more warranted for this discussion...

 

[MdWIldcat55]

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but Malachi Moreno isn’t just ‘a promising big.’
He’s literally the closest thing college basketball has seen to young Tim Duncan since Tim Duncan himself.

You are supposed to save these kinds of posts until Moreno announces he is staying in the NBA draft -- then you'll get 123 likes from all the trolls and anons and fakes lurking on this board who will instantly agree with you -- by way of attacking Kentucky and Pope.

 

[BBNUK4Life]

 

[CB3UK]

 

[MidseasonTweak]

HerrosHeroes would be proud.

 

[Runt#1969]

The GM BATTALION has found another gem!

Truly, a gem !

 

[UKCowboys]

Its obviously sarcasm, but the truth is, Moreno was a freshman and is now considered a late 1st to mid 2nd caliber player. That means he is a kid with a lot of potential to be an excellent starting center in college and a solid backup/lower level starting NBA center. Nothing wrong with that

 

[CatManFromCa]

Don't take this as me taking a word of the op seriously but, just so newbies won't be misinformed, Duncan didn't take a while to get it going since he was considered the NBA draft #1 overall pick at the end of his freshman year and the ACC was probably the stronger league back then.

But I really don't see a reason for the op to be heaping all this sarcasm on MM...

If Duncan was considered the NBA DRAFT #1 pick at the end of his freshman year…than it had to be a HORRIBLE CLASS!

Moreno’s freshman season compares shockingly well when you adjust for minutes & role. Moreno wasn’t a day 1 starter.

Tim Duncan — Wake Forest (1993–94)
• PPG: 9.8
• RPG: 9.6
• BPG: 3.8
• FG%: 54.5%
• FT%: 74.5%
• Minutes: 30.2 MPG
• Games: 33
• Accolades: ACC All‑Freshman Team


Malachi Moreno — Kentucky (2025–26)
• PPG: 7.8
• RPG: 6.3
• APG: 1.8
• BPG: 1.5
• FG%: 58.2%
• FT%: 69.8%
• Minutes: 22.6 MPG
• Games: 36
• Accolades: SEC All‑Freshman Team

 

[anot]

He's ten times the player that Nick Richards was as a freshman. The guy will go pro if he wants. He's a good ball player. No need to exaggerate anything. This is a post crapping on our current players but I catch hell for crapping on the coach who is a grown man in his fifties.

 

[BlueBloodKyFan72]

OP

 

[TheApostleSaulSmith]

Its obviously sarcasm, but the truth is, Moreno was a freshman and is now considered a late 1st to mid 2nd caliber player. That means he is a kid with a lot of potential to be an excellent starting center in college and a solid backup/lower level starting NBA center. Nothing wrong with that

That's all true but how soon we forget that he was unplayable in some games toward the end of last season and had to be bailed out by BRANDON GARRISON of all people.

He has a lot of work to do.

 

[Buckwheat Otay Is Dead]

The NBA would eat Morenos lunch. He can’t jump, has weak hands, and zero quickness as a freshman. Some must think Pope is a 5 man guru if Moreno is as a freshman the next Tim D.

 

[SenseMaker_Cats]

Don't take this as me taking a word of the op seriously but, just so newbies won't be misinformed, Duncan didn't take a while to get it going since he was considered the NBA draft #1 overall pick at the end of his freshman year and the ACC was probably the stronger league back then.

But I really don't see a reason for the op to be heaping all this sarcasm on MM...

Duncan was considered the #1 pick after his freshman year. Wouldn’t that mean he passed up being the #1 pick three more times before he left after his senior year. I’m not 100% saying you’re wrong. Just that it is crazy if that actually happened.

 

[anot]

Also we should all hope Moreno is a NBA player since he's the best highschool recruit Pope has ever signed. Seriously you'd want him to be good enough right?

 

[KyKevin]

If Duncan was considered the NBA DRAFT #1 pick at the end of his freshman year…than it had to be a HORRIBLE CLASS!

Moreno’s freshman season compares shockingly well when you adjust for minutes & role. Moreno wasn’t a day 1 starter.

Tim Duncan — Wake Forest (1993–94)
• PPG: 9.8
• RPG: 9.6
• BPG: 3.8
• FG%: 54.5%
• FT%: 74.5%
• Minutes: 30.2 MPG
• Games: 33
• Accolades: ACC All‑Freshman Team


Malachi Moreno — Kentucky (2025–26)
• PPG: 7.8
• RPG: 6.3
• APG: 1.8
• BPG: 1.5
• FG%: 58.2%
• FT%: 69.8%
• Minutes: 22.6 MPG
• Games: 36
• Accolades: SEC All‑Freshman Team

Moreno can only hope to be as good as Tim Duncan was. He better get him a sweet little glass shot like Duncan, after he learns to face the basket.

 

[TheApostleSaulSmith]

Duncan was considered the #1 pick after his freshman year. Wouldn’t that mean he passed up being the #1 pick three more times before he left after his senior year. I’m not 100% saying you’re wrong. Just that it is crazy if that actually happened.

Pretty sure he was the #1 pick after his junior season and chose to come back for the senior year.

 

[theBlues]

Duncan was considered the #1 pick after his freshman year. Wouldn’t that mean he passed up being the #1 pick three more times before he left after his senior year. I’m not 100% saying you’re wrong. Just that it is crazy if that actually happened.

Yes, it is crazy but he did that.

 

[theBlues]

Pretty sure he was the #1 pick after his junior season and chose to come back for the senior year.

No, he was rated that high well before his junior season. He was considered a top five pick and a contender for number one overall at the end of his freshman year(Jerry West was one of the ones that had him #1 on his board) and the consensus number one at the end of his sophomore year.

 

[mjj_2K]

Sure, why not?

Other than the fact that Duncan actually was really, really good from the start in a way Moreno simply wasn't.

Duncan's Freshman year (which he started at 17) he averaged 9.6 rebounds and 3.7 blocks. By the next season, he was going for 16.8/12.5 and just under 4 blocks per game.

I remember a game Duncan played his Sophomore year against UNC with Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace, both projected (correctly) lottery picks. It was blatantly obvious who the best player on the floor was, and though Wake lost the game, Duncan had an extended period of absolute domination.

 

[mjj_2K]

Pretty sure he was the #1 pick after his junior season and chose to come back for the senior year.

Yes, possibly even after his Sophomore year.

That was the year Joe Smith went #1. If Duncan had been available, hard to see that happening.

 

[theBlues]

Duncan was considered the #1 pick after his freshman year. Wouldn’t that mean he passed up being the #1 pick three more times before he left after his senior year. I’m not 100% saying you’re wrong. Just that it is crazy if that actually happened.

He passed it up 3 times total. They only got 4 years back then. Ain't that crazy?

 

[CatManFromCa]

Sure, why not?

Other than the fact that Duncan actually was really, really good from the start in a way Moreno simply wasn't.

Duncan's Freshman year (which he started at 17) he averaged 9.6 rebounds and 3.7 blocks. By the next season, he was going for 16.8/12.5 and just under 4 blocks per game.

I remember a game Duncan played his Sophomore year against UNC with Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace, both projected (correctly) lottery picks. It was blatantly obvious who the best player on the floor was, and though Wake lost the game, Duncan had an extended period of absolute domination.

Are you saying Moreno cant make this same jump his sophomore year? The ACC was more of a “finesse league”….Stackhouse & Wallace didn’t play very physical defense. The current SEC is more like the old Big East…it is a brutal league.

 

[mjj_2K]

Are you saying Moreno cant make this same jump his sophomore year? The ACC was more of a “finesse league”….Stackhouse & Wallace didn’t play very physical defense. The current SEC is more like the old Big East…it is a brutal league.

Duncan displayed a level of talent that Moreno simply has not.

He had a nice Freshman year. You're comparing him to a top 20 player of all-time.

 

[TheApostleSaulSmith]

Yes, possibly even after his Sophomore year.

That was the year Joe Smith went #1. If Duncan had been available, hard to see that happening.

lol Joe Smith, haven't heard that name in a while

 

[St.Patterson_54_]

And he eats Thundah and Shytes Lightnannn!!!!!

 

[SenseMaker_Cats]

Y

He passed it up 3 times total. They only got 4 years back then. Ain't that crazy?

Yes sir it is. I guess I got so used guys leaving UK as quick as they could it sounded crazy to me.

Did a little reading on it, he may not have been #1 after his freshman year but sounds like he’d been up there pretty high. Came back three more years after that to fulfill a promise to his Mom.

 

[DelkBowl]

Too slow, no jump shot. Things can change over time but he definitely does not have twitchy reaction times. Has a better chance of working on that jumper.

 

[ftp000]

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but Malachi Moreno isn’t just ‘a promising big.’
He’s literally the closest thing college basketball has seen to young Tim Duncan since Tim Duncan himself.

Watch the tape.
Not the highlight reels…the actual possessions.
The footwork? Duncan.
The timing? Duncan.
The way he blocks shots WITHOUT LEAVING HIS FEET LIKE A GROWN MAN WHO UNDERSTANDS GEOMETRY?
That’s Duncan‑core behavior.

Moreno has that same ‘I’m not jumping, I’m just going to erase your shot because I understand angles better than your math teacher’ energy.
He’s got the soft touch, the patience, the rebounding instincts, the calmness, the ‘I’m going to casually dominate you without changing my facial expression’ vibe.

And the best part?
He’s doing this as a FRESHMAN in the SEC.
Duncan didn’t even start cooking people until later at Wake Forest.
Moreno is already out here looking like he’s calculating trajectories in real time like a 7‑foot astrophysicist.

I was just telling my wife this very same thing!

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

Every post this account has made so far is nothing but sarcasm. I’m — this close to hitting ignore.

 

[*Fox2Monk*]

HerrosHeroes would be proud.

Now that you remind me of his existence… interesting .

 

[anot]

Moreno has everything he needs physically. All he has to do is change his mindset. Get aggressive. Play with some emotion. He's way to easy going on the court. He has the tools tho no doubt. He understands the game. Spacing.

 

[CatManFromCa]

Moreno has everything he needs physically. All he has to do is change his mindset. Get aggressive. Play with some emotion. He's way too easy going on the court. He has the tools tho no doubt. He understands the game. Spacing.

Same things they said about Duncan early in his career. He was not very athletic or bouncy…and showed no emotions. You are helping me build my case! Thanks!