The 2026 NBA Draft arrives on Tuesday with Tennessee freshman wing Nate Ament expected to be a first-round pick during the event. Aside from that, though, there’s been a good amount of buzz about just how high Ament will go in the round.
Can he sneak into a Top 6 pick after drawing Brooklyn’s attention? Will Ament slide out of the Top 10? Does Dusty May’s hiring with the Mavericks impact his potential for Dallas?
These are all the last-minute questions floating around as NBA analysts and insiders churn out their final mock drafts before the two-day event this week in Brooklyn, NY.
Here’s a look at where some of the top experts around the league are projecting the freshman out of Tennessee to land on Tuesday:
- No. 6 to the Brooklyn Nets
- No. 9 to the Dallas Mavericks
- “The Mavericks and Bucks are two possible landing spots. If those teams go a different direction, he could slide.”
- No. 10 to the Milwaukee Bucks
- “Ament is considered a likely target to start building the post-Giannis foundation. Players who can handle, shoot off the dribble, and stand at 6-foot-10 don’t grow on trees. This physical foundation kept Ament in lottery consideration even after a dreadful start to his freshman season when he struggled to score efficiently and make an impact defensively.”
Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Sweeney
- No. 10 to the Milwaukee Bucks
- “The potential for a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade hovers over all the Bucks’ draft activity, with a strong possibility that by the time they make this selection the organization will look very different and likely have multiple picks to play with in the process. If those things come to fruition, swinging big on a high-upside player like Ament makes a ton of sense at No. 10.”
- No. 10 the Milwaukee Bucks
- “In this mock draft, we projected Giannis to be traded to the Heat. The Bucks own this pick already and use it to draft Ament, who is one of the biggest boom-or-bust prospects in the class. Ament showed signs of improvement throughout his freshman season at Tennessee but there are question marks about his efficiency after shooting less than 40% from the field last season.”
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman
- No. 13 to the Miami Heat
- “High-upside traits (positional size, shotmaking, defensive tools) are swaying evaluators to look past some of his inefficient execution at Tennessee.”
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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.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for full coverage of the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday and Wednesday night.
