Former Tennessee freshman wing Nate Ament was the lone Volunteer taken in the first round of the NBA Draft on Tuesday night, but it won’t be long before two more Vols hear their names called in Brooklyn.
Ament was selected 13th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks, becoming the 11th drafted player during the Rick Barnes era on Rocky Top. By the end of the night on Wednesday, that number should be up to 13 players. Tennessee senior guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and senior forward Felix Okpara are still on the board with the second round just hours away. Neither was expected to be a first-round pick on Tuesday, so all has gone according to projection so far.
ESPN’s draft board has Okpara as the 12th-best player and Gillespie as the 14th-best player still on the board heading into Wednesday.
Jeremy Woo put out his Round 2 mock draft on Wednesday morning for ESPN. He’s got Tennessee’s Felix Okpara and Ja’Kobi Gillespie going with back-to-back picks in the 40s.
The first up is Okpara, who Woo has tagged to the Miami Heat with the 41st overall pick. The Heat have dominated the news wire this week after making a blockbuster trade to acquire superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, which set up the Bucks’ ability to draft Ament on Tuesday.
“Okpara had a good predraft process and played his way into the two-way contract mix as a dependable big man who chips in a little bit of value on both ends,” Woo writes.
One pick later, he’s got Gillespie going to the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs with the 42nd pick to team up with the young, exciting roster that’s been built in Texas.
“After starting his college career at Belmont, Gillespie had good years at Maryland and Tennessee while playing his way into the NBA picture,” Woo writes. “He profiles as a potential bench option if his scoring ability can outweigh his size concerns.”
The second round of the 2026 NBA Draft will begin on Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. ET. Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for live coverage of Tennessee’s draft picks.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie: 37 GP, 18.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 5.4 APG, 41.0 FG%
Felix Okpara: 35 GP, 8.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 0.5 APG, 59.7 FG%
