On Tuesday night, Tennessee basketball star freshman Nate Ament heard his name called in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft. With the Milwaukee Bucks agreeing in principle to a trade with the Miami Heat for the draft rights of the 13th pick, Ament was selected by the Bucks to join Brayden Burries in the franchise’s draft class.
After the selections, Milwaukee general manager Jon Horst met with the media to discuss the decision to bring Ament to Cream City.
Here’s what he said about the Vols standout.
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On acquiring another second lottery pick, using it to draft Nate Ament
“I would say this, too. We weren’t short of options to not take the pick. There was a lot of activity, especially as the draft unfolded the way that it did. We were clear, if we had the chance to take Nate with that pick, that’s what we were going to do. To acquire those draft rights, that was an unbelievable opportunity for us value-wise in this draft.
“This is a really highly-rated individual. Led a Tennessee team to a deep NCAA Tournament run. Ironically, both (Ament and Brayden Burries) lost to the same team. Just a great opportunity for us. When we were going through this process, when we found out we were going to have the 10th pick, you spend a lot of time in that range. The more you learn about the range, the more you learn about that opportunity. Right or wrong, we’ll find out for years to come. You start to understand the value in that range.
“For us, we felt like if we could get two picks in that range, that would be massive value and a massive opportunity for us. Has to fall in the way to get the guys that we wanted. If it didn’t, we would have done different things with that opportunity to acquire the draft rights. But, we got a guard. We got a big guard and we got a big wing. And I think those are important things as you continue to build toward the things that we want to build and very excited about the outcome.”
On if Nate Ament needs to get stronger, preparing him for the NBA
“Well, I think big credit to Nate. Nate’s put on close to 20 pounds. He’ll tell you all when you spend time with him. Kind of throughout his year, Tennessee and Coach Barnes, they did an unbelievable job. They’re one of the best, I think, strength and conditioning programs, overall, just programs in the country. So, he bought in. And spending time with him, you could see he’s very, very serious about his body, his nutrition and what it takes for him to really be competitive. So he’s already done that. He’s really worked, and he’s grown in that area.
“I think we’re great. I think we’ll do a really good job continuing that on. I was just texting with Coach Barnes right now and just saying, ‘Hey, thanks for everything you did foundationally. We’re going to take it from here and take care of him.’ But again, Nate’s got to put it in. He’s got to care about it and he does.”
On the growth he saw from Nate Ament in his year at Tennessee
“Obviously, I got to see him live a lot this year also. I loved – I told Coach (Barnes) this, I told Nate this, I thought he played on a team, respectfully, a very good team, but where he could clearly have been the best player every single night and played in a way in which he would go dominate and he has an assertiveness to himself and a belief and a confidence, but he did what Coach Barnes asked him.
“He played in a way to help his team have the best chance to win. And so I think if you’re a young player and you’re trying to fit into a coach’s system and you’re trying to compete and win, you’re playing with really good players in Felix (Okpara) and (Ja’Kobi) Gillespie and these guys. I think sometimes it can be a little bit of a slow go because he wasn’t just trying to rush in and serve himself. He was really trying to be a great teammate. And then I think once he found his, to me, once he found his kind of grounding, his comfort, you saw him explode.
“He had the injury. I was at the game when he sprained the ankle and it looked worse than a sprained ankle. He tried to come back in that game immediately. Ended up after halftime not going and then came back and played in the tournament. He’s a really tough kid, and so he’ll get stronger. He’s mentally tough. He’s physically tough. Believes in himself. I think he’s got a huge future.”
On adding Nate Ament as a lottery pick to a team he could have a big role on early
“… Nate, best player on his team, and they were really successful. I think these guys embrace a challenge. They have a quiet confidence and a belief in themselves. The NBA is hard, so they’ve made big jumps before. This will be the biggest jump, and we’re here to support them and help them grow and build and kind of give them the resources to do that.
“But it’s on them. It’s on them, the work they’re going to put in, their belief in themselves, how many times they’re going to get back up when they need to, but obviously, we believe in them. We made big investments in these guys, and we’re excited about it.”
