Later this month, following the conclusion of the 2026 NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs, the 2026 NBA Draft will be held. In a class that’s as loaded as you’ll find throughout the league’s history, Tennessee basketball will likely be represented in the lottery.
Nate Ament, following a successful true freshman year with the Vols, is projected to be a top-10 selection and could go even higher. In Yahoo Sports’ latest mock draft from Kevin O’Connor, that’s the case.
O’Connor has Ament going all the way up at No. 6 overall to the Brooklyn Nets. This would have him only drafted behind BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Kansas’ Darren Peterson, Duke’s Cameron Boozer, North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson and Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr.
KOC’s newest NBA mock draft is here 👀🏀
Biggest surprise in the top 10? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/Nt5Zn7lJDC
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 4, 2026
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“A few weeks ago I reported the Nets were drawn to Nate Ament and Aday Mara,” O’Connor wrote. “That remains true as we enter June, though there are still workouts to be done and there are plenty of teams interested in trading into this spot. For now, Ament gets the nod with this choice given Brooklyn already has so many guards on the roster. Players like Ament who can handle, shoot off the dribble and stand at 6-foot-10 don’t grow on trees…”
Ament showed his upside during the course of last season, though he did have to battle through injury heading into the postseason. The 6-foot-10 wing finished with 16.7 points per game on 39.9% shooting from the field and 33.3% from range. He also contributed 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest.
The result was an up-and-down regular season for the Vols, earning a 6-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Tennessee took down 13-seed Miami (Ohio) in the Round of 64, before upsetting 3-seed Virginia in the Round of 32 and 2-seed Iowa State in the Sweet 16. However, UT’s season ended in a third-straight Elite Eight loss, this time to eventual national champs Michigan.
