With the 2026 NBA Draft officially in the rear-view mirror, we can go ahead and start looking ahead to the next event in 2027. It’s a long way away, sure, but there are certainly interesting elements to go ahead and take note of for the next season.
Tennessee transfer forward Juke Harris will likely be the Vols’ most prominent name in next year’s draft class. He transferred to UT from Wake Forest this past offseason, but he was considering the possibility of going pro while making his decision. In the end, Harris elected to take his name out of the NBA Draft pool, return to college, and sign with Tennessee.
ESPN’s Jeremy Woo gave out a Top 10 2027 mock draft on Thursday, followed by his big board rankings for the best remaining prospects who could wind up in the draft class. According to Woo, Tennessee’s Juke Harris ranks as the No. 29 prospect in the class, which is one spot ahead of Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner.
Woo’s list implies that Harris would be a fringe first-round pick if things were to unfold today, depending on the selecting team’s needs at the time of the pick.
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Harris will have every chance in the world to improve his draft stock during the upcoming season with Tennessee. He’s an ultra-skilled player and he’ll have plenty of moments to shine in the thick of SEC competition. Tennessee brought in several talented players from the transfer portal this offseason, but Harris is the highest-ranked of the group. There’s no doubt that he will be an offensive centerpiece for the Vols.
Harris was one of the best scorers in college basketball last season for Wake Forest. His 21.4 points per game ranked 16th in the nation, and his complete game numbers rivaled some of the top picks in this year’s NBA Draft class. While leading the ACC in total minutes played, Harris ended the season as a Second Team All-ACC selection.
“One of the nation’s elite scorers, Harris enjoyed a breakout season in Winston-Salem,” ESPN’s Jeff Borzello wrote about Harris in May. “He jumped from averaging 6.1 points as a freshman to averaging 21.4 as a sophomore, ranking in the top 20 nationally in that category. Harris had three performances of 30-plus points, including 38 points in 39 minutes against Boston College.”
After Nate Ament’s No. 13 overall selection to the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday, Tennessee has now produced five first-round draft picks in the last eight drafts. Will Juke Harris be the sixth in the last nine years? Only time will tell, but he should have every opportunity to showcase his skill set this season with the Vols.
