Tennessee star freshman Nate Ament is one of the top names to know in this year’s draft cycle. This “polarizing” (we’ll get back to that in just a minute) prospect was one of the top players in the 2025 recruiting cycle and is heading to the NBA after just one year at Tennessee.
During his one season with the Vols, Ament averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. He entered his freshman campaign with sky-high expectations, though it took a little while for him to find his footing. Ament eventually found his grasp on things and became one of the most impactful players in the SEC until a late-season injury limited his postseason play.
Now fully cemented in the NBA Draft process, Ament is viewed as one of the most intriguing prospects in the cycle. In fact, while both tagging him to the same projection in recent mock drafts, both ESPN’s Jeremy Woo and CBS Sports’ Adam Finkelstein used the word “polarizing” to describe the former Volunteer.
“Ament is a polarizing prospect with a wide range of outcomes on draft night,” Finkelstein writes. “A late-blooming 6-foot-10 combo-forward who is fluid, has touch, and skill, he’s also inconsistent and needs to get stronger. While his freshman year was up and down, Ament’s overall arc has been linear, and there’s still glaring potential.”
Both ESPN and CBS Sports have Ament projected to go 10th overall to the Milwaukee Bucks, one spot below Dallas and one spot above Golden State. Much of the conversation around Milwaukee this offseason revolves around the future of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the direction that the franchise might take with the draft.
“Ament was polarizing for teams all season, with some evaluators still enamored with his size and skill, while others view him as a theoretical prospect and are concerned with his struggles in college,” ESPN’s Jeremy Woo writes. “In either case, he’s a ways away from impacting winning at the NBA level, which makes him a bit more fit-specific to teams that have minutes available and a runway to develop him.”
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Ament proved to be a solid player early in the season, but he lacked some superstar moments. That was until SEC play, at least.
Starting with a loss to Florida in early January, Ament’s offensive game began to solidify. That game, which took place on Jan. 10, was the start of a double-digit scoring streak that lasted through the SEC Tournament – aside from a late February game against Alabama, in which he only scored two points in 11 minutes after going down with a knee/ankle injury. As the SEC season progressed, Ament began to hunt his shot on the court. He was more assertive, more commanding, and more aggressive with his takes, whether it be from the perimeter or working to get to the foul line.
During a streak from Jan. 24 to Feb. 18, Ament went for 20+ points in six out of eight games, including 29 at Alabama, 28 against Ole Miss, 29 at Kentucky, and 29 against Oklahoma. And while he only scored 13 points on 3-of-13 shooting in the next game against Vanderbilt on Feb. 21, Ament had one of Tennessee’s most clutch late-game shots of the season to put the Vols over the top of their rivals in Nashville.
Stay tuned to RTI for more Nate Ament NBA Draft coverage.
