Will Thomas Haugh Stay? Florida’s Options at Small Forward
After a Round of 32 exit in the NCAA Tournament, this offseason is critical to Florida’s success. Coach Todd Golden, a mastermind of roster reconstruction, should have one main focus in the 2026 offseason: the three, and not the shot behind the arc.
The small forward position was arguably the most important factor to Florida’s success last year, as the Gators earned a No. 1 seed for the second consecutive season. Thomas Haugh made the leap into the starting role after the national championship campaign and averaged a team-high 17.1 points per game on 46% shooting. When leading an SEC team like Florida, the NBA is just a phone call away. If Haugh leaves, Golden will need to fill the crater at small forward left by the All-American.
Not only should Golden address the need at the three in the portal, but he will also likely expand his search to 3-point shooting, an area where the Gators hit only 31.2% this season. It’s not a search that requires Golden’s renowned complex statistical analysis, because the best 3-point shooter in the country has already entered the transfer portal.
Milan Momcilovic is a 6-foot-8 forward from Iowa State who declared for the NBA draft while simultaneously entering the transfer portal on Sunday. He is the No. 2 player in the portal, according to 247 Sports, and posted an unreal 48.7% from 3 during his most recent season, leading the Cyclones in scoring with 16.9 points per game and to a No. 2 seed in the tournament.
Per Pete Nakos of On3, Momcilovic has entered the portal with a do-not-contact tag, likely meaning he’s set on his destination if he chooses to forgo the draft. Todd Golden and Florida have been linked as an early suitor for the five-star.
Momcilovic had a breakout performance in the Big 12 Tournament against Arizona, when he dropped 28 points, shooting 8-for-14 from 3 in an 82-80 loss to the Wildcats. With Momcilovic, or “Mommy” as Iowa State fans called him, the player profile is basic: a knockdown shooter. That’s pretty much it.
This season, his offensive box plus/minus was 4.8 compared to his 2.3 defensive plus/minus. That combined for a total of 7.1, which is an estimate of the points per 100 possessions he contributed above a league-average player, translated to an average team. To add onto that, 65% of Momcilovic’s points came from behind the arc this season. Searching for an NBA comparison? Think of a Kyle Korver archetype.
Florida’s biggest weakness this season was 3-point shooting. Haugh took a dip from 34% his sophomore season to 32.6% this year, failing to make the perimeter jump the Gators desperately needed. Florida’s inability to spread the floor allowed defenses to close in on Florida’s bigs with no consequence for clogging the paint — teams were perfectly content with allowing Florida to chuck shots from deep.
In Florida’s tournament loss to Iowa, it clanked in 6 of 19 from behind the arc. At the same time, center Rueben Chinyelu finished with 0 points. Having a shooter that can stand like a statue behind the 3-point line, wait for the ball and shoot when defenses swarm the paint could’ve saved Florida’s season with its frontcourt dulled.
However, Momcilovic isn’t necessarily the only answer for Florida, as there’s a world in which the Gators’ best player returns for his senior season.
Haugh’s draft stock has arguably slumped due to his regression from 3. Earlier this season, he was projected to be a lottery pick. With a draft class of countless unbelievable freshmen and generational prospects, though, Haugh’s name has slid to a late first-round pick in USA Today’s latest mock draft.
An argument could be made for Haugh to stay another year, then improve his shooting and shot-creating ability to ideally land even higher in the 2027 draft as a senior. The 2026 class is one of the best in recent memory, so holding off on the league, getting an NIL bag and actually getting a senior night in Gainesville could be Haugh’s best option. Not to mention that if Chinyelu, Alex Condon (who just announced his return for his senior year) and now Denzel Aberdeen play for Florida next season, the on-court chemistry would be through the roof if Haugh comes back to play with his boys.
The defensive prowess, athletic ability in transition and hustle that Haugh brings makes him more of a Swiss Army Knife as opposed to the one-dimensional game of Momcilovic. Florida ended the season sixth in the country in defensive rating, so Golden, following his past roster decisions, would likely prefer a player that dominates both ends of the floor.
The most unlikely situation is that Florida retains Haugh and somehow gets a commitment from Momcilovic. The cost of the two players makes the situation unrealistic, especially considering there probably won’t be room for both in the starting five.
Other options at small forward for the Gators, should Haugh choose not to return, include Santa Clara’s Allen Graves, the No. 4 player in the portal. Graves stands at 6-foot-9 and shot 41.3% from 3 this season as a freshman. Graves also declared for the NBA draft and has similarly entered with a do-not-contact tag.
Juke Harris is the No. 7 player in the portal from Wake Forest, but has been tied to Michigan, UNC and Tennessee as likely destinations. Paulius Murauskas is the last top-10 forward in the portal, transferring from Saint Mary’s. Murauskas is a 6-foot-8 junior, but is less of a shooting threat from deep, only shooting 33.3% this season with only 17.7% of his points coming from behind the perimeter.
The Gators could also turn to their current bench, with Isaiah Brown, who is returning next season, along with rising sophomore CJ Ingram, both being possible future starters. Although, the two would have to take huge leaps to match either Haugh or any of the top-10 forwards left in the portal.
One thing remains clear: Florida has options. While Haugh does his best The Clash impression, thinking “should I stay or should I go,” Golden could target multiple top-10 forwards in the transfer portal to reinforce Florida’s starting lineup.
Category: Basketball, Feature Sports News, Gators Men's Basketball
