Tomorrow, June 23, the 2026 NBA Draft begins with the first round airing on ABC/ESPN, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Then, the second round will begin on June 24, also at 8 p.m., on ESPN to conclude the 60-pick event.
During the process, three former Tennessee basketball stars are expected to hear their names called. Just one day out, ESPN’s Jeremy Woo offered his final mock draft, which featured each of Nate Ament, Felix Okpara and Ja’Kobi Gillespie.
Woo has Ament going inside the top-10. The freshman phenom is slotted at pick nine to the Dallas Mavericks, which would team him up with another young star in Cooper Flagg.
“Ament’s draft range has remained wide,” Woo wrote. “The Nets at No. 6 are seen as the high end, but scenarios are also in play in which he falls into the second half of the lottery. Teams say he has been selective about scheduling workouts, declining to visit multiple teams in the top 10. The Mavericks and Bucks are two possible landing spots. If those teams go a different direction, he could slide…”
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Ament showed his upside during the course of last season, though he did have to battle through injury heading into the postseason. The 6-foot-10 wing finished with 16.7 points per game on 39.9% shooting from the field and 33.3% from range. He also contributed 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest.
The next Vol off the board is projected to be Okpara. The Tennessee center is placed at pick No. 40 to the Boston Celtics, which is a pick acquired via a trade with the Bucks. Okpara is coming off a senior year that saw him become one of the best rim protectors in the SEC. He averaged 8.0 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, as well.
Then, the very next pick in the draft, Gillespie is projected to be selected by the Miami Heat at pick No. 41 in a pick acquired via a trade with the Warriors. Gillespie spent his senior year back in his home state with the Vols, averaging 18.4 points, 5.4 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game.
This is the high end for all three UT prospects. Ament is projected around the top-10 range, but some have seen him slip outside the lottery. Okpara and Gillespie are commonly slotted in the back half of the second round, but this mock has them both going early.
