During the preparation for the 2026 NBA Draft, the attention on Tennessee basketball’s Elite Eight team has been placed on Nate Ament. After a standout freshman year, Ament is projected to be a lottery pick this cycle.
However, particularly during the NBA Draft Combine this week, star senior point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie has begun to steal headlines. While he doesn’t have the measurables or the younger age of Ament, he’s still being looked at as a potential steal of the draft.
Earlier this week, NBA draft analyst David Lee gave his thoughts on how Gillespie could translate to the NBA. He noted Gillespie’s 38% NBA range 3-point shooting and compared him to Jamal Shead out of Houston, who now plays for the Raptors. The result is Lee tabbing Gillespie as one of his picks to outperform his draft slot ‘by a huge margin’.
38% career NBA range 3-point shooter on volume + shot versatility with the frame to follow in Shead footsteps
my favorite senior guard in this class and one of my picks to outperform his draft slot by a huge margin pic.twitter.com/zwxcIjYuuo https://t.co/xQ9a0bVdIK
Advertisement— David Lee (@dlee4three) May 12, 2026
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Gillespie measured at 5-foot-11.75 and weighed 181.8 pounds at the combine, according to Jon Chepkevich. He owns a 6-foot-4 wingspan and 7-foot-11.5 standing reach, as well.
This past season was his first and only at Tennessee, but he left his mark. The Greeneville native produced 18.4 points per game on 41% shooting from the field and 33.8% on threes. He also contributed 5.4 assists and 2.8 rebounds per outing.
The result of the strong year was being named the SEC Newcomer of the Year (AP) and First-Team All-SEC (coaches) member. The team made a run all the way back to the Elite Eight, as well, before getting beaten by eventual national champion Michigan. The run featured upsets over Virginia and Iowa State to get there, though.
Gillespie started his career with two seasons at Belmont and one year at Maryland before transferring to UT.
