T.J. Otzelberger, Nate Heise, Tamin Lipsey discuss loss in Sweet 16
T.J. Otzelberger, Nate Heise, Tamin Lipsey discuss loss in Sweet 16 vs. Tennessee.
After making a huge leap between his sophomore and junior seasons, Iowa State standout Milan Momcilovic is looking to make the jump for the NBA.
The 6-foot-8, 225-pound wing officially declared for the NBA Draft on April 12.
In addition to testing the waters for the professional ranks, he also announced that he is entering the transfer portal.
Momcilovic is projected to go in the middle of the second round at 45th overall, according to the latest mock draft by ESPN’s Jeremy Woo.
He will have until May 27 to decide whether to remain in the draft pool or withdraw and retain his college eligibility. The 2026 NBA Draft is expected to take place in June, but an exact date has not yet been announced.
The Pewaukee, Wisconsin, native led the country in made 3-pointers (136) and 3-point shooting percentage (48.75%). His 136 made treys were the most by an Iowa State player in a single season, shattering the previous program record by Dedric Willoughby, who had 102 3-pointers as a senior in the 1996-97 campaign.
According to KenPom, Momcilovic ranked 11th in the country for offensive rating and was second in the Big 12 overall. He also had the fifth-highest true shooting percentage (69.3%) in the country and an effective field-goal percentage of 67.2%, which was good for 13th in the nation.
Momcilovic showcased progress on the defensive end, but there will be some questions regarding his ability on that side of the floor as he moves up to the professional level. There won’t be any questions surrounding his shooting and scoring ability, though. Not only did he show greater consistency and staggering efficiency despite shooting the ball more, Momcilovic was able to score in a variety of ways — on the move, off the dribble, under duress, off of screens, fading away or from well beyond the arc. His elite-level shooting, high release point and quick trigger will be enticing at the next level.
Momcilovic garnered All-Big 12 second-team honors this past season. He averaged a team-best 16.9 points per game. He also grabbed 3.1 rebounds per game and shot 50.6% overall, and 48.75% from deep. He was one of the Cyclones’ most reliable free-throw shooters, converting at an 87.8% rate from the charity stripe. He posted career-bests in scoring average, overall shooting percentage, 3-point shooting percentage and free-throw percentage.
The Cyclones’ junior sharpshooter recorded a career-high 34 points in a Jan. 17 loss to Cincinnati, when he shot 8-of-14 from beyond the arc. He had a career-best eight 3-pointers in a single game on three different occasions this season. He had five or more 3-pointers in 11 of his 37 games during the 2025-26 season.
Through 102 games over his three years at Iowa State, he amassed 1,349 points and 323 rebounds. He shot 45.8% overall and 42.8% from long range.
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
