We’re under a week from the 2026 NBA Draft being held. The expectation is for three Tennessee basketball stars to hear their names called: Nate Ament, Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Felix Okpara. The common consensus is that Ament will be a late lottery pick, while Gillespie and Okpara will be mid-to-late second-round picks.
However, a popular college basketball pundit, Ryan Hammer, has a differing perspective on some of UT’s outgoing talent. Most notably, in his final big board, he has Ament all the way down at No. 24 in the draft class.
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.
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While he is lower on Ament than most, he’s also higher on Gillespie than a lot of draft experts. On his big board, he has the Tennessee point guard at No. 36. That would make him just lower than a first-round prospect.
Gillespie is an older prospect, coming off his senior year of college. He played just this past year for his home state school of UT and made the most of the opportunity. He averaged 18.4 points, 5.4 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game on 41% shooting from the field and 33.8% on threes.
Hammer then has Okpara about where most people do. His list slots the Vols forward at No. 54. This would put him as one of the last picks of the two-round draft.
Okpara played two years at Tennessee after transferring in from Ohio State. This past year, he certified himself as one of the best rim protectors in the sport. He finished with averages of 8.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.
