The talk around the 2026 NBA Draft will take a big step forward this Sunday with the draft lottery at 3:00 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN. The lottery will determine the order of the first 14 teams on the board, with teams including Washington, Indiana, Brooklyn, Utah, Sacramento, Memphis, Atlanta (via New Orleans), Dallas, Chicago, Milwaukee, Golden State, Oklahoma City (via LA Clippers), and Charlotte.
It’s also the first chance that we’ll see some NBA Draft projections with a real and finalized team order, as opposed to all the guessing that’s been going on in the lead-up to the lottery.
Many projections around the league have tagged Tennessee’s Nate Ament to a lottery team when the draft rolls around in June. It hasn’t necessarily been unanimous, but the trends and projections suggest a good chance for Ament to go in one of those 14 picks.
ESPN’s Jeremy Woo released one final list of where the top players could land based on the pre-lottery process this week. Woo says that if the Milwaukee Bucks have the 10th overall pick, which is what the odds suggest for them, it would be hard for the organization to pass up on Ament if he’s still on the board.
“Although the Bucks’ backcourt is a glaring need, this has to be a best-available spot as they consider what the future looks like without their superstar,” Woo writes. “Landing a talented developmental player such as Ament in the back half of the lottery is a valid swing, with Karim Lopez and Labaron Philon Jr. also likely to draw consideration.”
Woo has also recently written that the Chicago Bulls could be one to watch for Ament if they’re picking at the No. 9 spot, which is where their odds are projected.
Again, it’s hard to make these projections and predictions without knowing exactly which team will be picking at which spot. We’ll find that out on Sunday. But it does seem like Jeremy Woo is tagging Ament to a spot, potentially, in the 9-10 range. We’ll see how much that changes based on which teams are picking there on Sunday.
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During his freshman season at Tennessee, Ament averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 35 games. He 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 blowout 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.
Tennessee has had 10 NBA Draft picks during the Rick Barnes era on Rocky Top, including five straight years. During that time, the Vols have had four first-round picks. By all accounts, Nate Ament will be the 11th overall draft pick and the fifth first-round pick of the Barnes era this June.
