Nate Ament has yet to announce any plans about his basketball future following a standout freshman season in Knoxville. With players making more-and-more money at the collegiate level, it has made previously easy NBA Draft decisions more difficult.
Players projected to go in the final 10-15 picks of the first round half more difficult decisions to make while projected lottery picks still almost always opt for professional basketball. Where does Ament stack up? It depends where you look.
ESPN’s Jeremy Woo released his latest NBA Draft big board, which ranks the best players in the draft but does not project where they will be selected, with Ament coming in at No. 8.
“Knee and ankle injuries in February interrupted Ament’s strong second half, but he returned to contribute to Tennessee’s surprise Elite Eight run,” Woo wrote. “Although he often left scouts wanting more this season, his skill level and fluidity at his size and flashes of shotmaking fit a valuable archetype and supply a strong developmental base in the long run.
“It’s likely Ament won’t be ready to contribute to a winning team as a rookie, but players in his mold are hard to find and tend to be valuable in an NBA driven by perimeter size and skill. Scouts are split on the likelihood of him reaching his ceiling, as he’s not an explosive athlete and has had some challenging moments this season. His best flashes in what was a suboptimal team context at Tennessee have kept him in the lottery mix.”
Ament is coming off a standout freshman season at Tennessee where he averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. The 6-foot-10 forward shot 39.9% from the field, 33.3% from three-point range and 79% from the foul line.
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The freshman got better over the course of the season and played better in SEC play than he did in non conference play. In 16 SEC games, Ament averaged 19 points and six rebounds per game. He scored 20-plus points in 11 games while scoring a career-high 29 points in wins over Alabama and Ole Miss as well as in a loss against Oklahoma.
Tennessee assistant coach Gregg Polinsky said on his appearance with The Drive on Fox Sports Knoxville last week that he believed Ament would be a lottery pick and that he needed to declare if that was the case.
“Of course, he’s gotta go (to the draft),” Polinsky said. “Unless his people, his family is great with him coming back. They’re amazing. Amazing family. But if he were my son, I’m telling him he’s got to go. Look, if he’s hearing a number that, meaning not money, but hey, you’re probably going to go 18-25, really? Okay, well, maybe I consider coming back. But I doubt it, guys. I’m going to be surprised if his name is not called in the lottery.”
Ament showed his toughness late in the season, fighting through an ankle and knee injury to play in both the SEC and NCAA Tournament. The tall wing went for 27 points in a NCAA Tournament win over Auburn, 16 points in a Round of 32 win over Virginia and 18 points in a Sweet 16 win over Iowa State.
