Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen reports about a number of potential suitors for Tennessee freshman wing Nate Ament in the NBA Draft on Tuesday in Brooklyn. The most common report early on was that he could be a fit in Milwaukee with the Bucks’ 10th overall pick. Then, over the next few weeks, other teams began to emerge into the fold.
The Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the L.A. Clippers have all hosted Ament for an individual workout, according to the former Vol himself.
Now, though, another team in the Top 10 has emerged as a candidate for Ament’s services: The Dallas Mavericks. According to NBA reporter Jake Fisher of The Stein Line, the Mavs are “a strong contender to emerge as Dallas’ ultimate pick at No. 9.”
The Bulls (No. 4), Clippers (No. 5), and Nets (No. 6) all sit above the Mavericks in the draft, as things currently stand. Milwaukee is behind at No. 10 while OKC comes in at No. 12.
The Mavericks have one of the league’s best young players in former Duke star Cooper Flagg, but are definitely in a different position than they were just a few years ago with Luka Doncic. It’s hard to think that Dallas is going to be competing with the likes of Oklahoma City and San Antonio in the immediate future, so the Mavericks might opt for a player it can develop alongside Flagg.
It feels like more of a long shot compared to some of the other teams in play, but the NBA Draft can certainly unfold in some unique ways when the teams start picking.
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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.
In other Mavericks news, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie projected the Mavericks to take Tennessee center Felix Okpara with the 50th overall pick during his mock draft on June 8.
Stay tuned to Rocky Top Insider for full coverage of the NBA Draft this Tuesday.
