Nate Ament is projected to be a top-5 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft based on early projections for the Tennessee basketball forward

Ament is projected to be the No. 4 pick by USA TODAY as a one-and-done prospect.

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The 6-foot-9, 185-pound Ament signed with UT as a five-star recruit and the No. 4 prospect in the 247Sports Composite in the 2025 class, which made him the highest-rated recruit in Vols history. He picked Tennessee over Arkansas, Duke, Kentucky and Louisville.

Tennessee had two players picked in the 2025 NBA Draft. Chaz Lanier was picked No. 37 by the Detroit Pistons and Jahmai Mashack was picked No. 59 by the Houston Rockets before being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Where Nate Ament is projected to be picked in the 2026 NBA Draft

Ament is projected as the No. 4 pick by USA TODAY and multiple outlets in the initial projections for the 2026 NBA Draft. He would be the highest-drafted player under Barnes and match Tom Boerwinkle as the highest-drafted player in UT history. Boerwinkle was picked No. 4 overall by the Chicago Bulls in 1968.

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ESPN, CBS Sports and Bleacher Report all have Ament as the No. 4 pick.

“A late bloomer, Ament has grown significantly in the past year, filling out his frame at 6-foot-11,” wrote ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. “He’s a tremendous shotmaker, has improved his passing and defensive versatility, and his ability to get a shot off almost at will gives him perhaps the highest upside of any prospect in this class. He’ll be a focal point at Tennessee, allowing NBA teams to evaluate whether he can emerge as a consistently efficient, winning player in a challenging SEC.”

AMENT: What Nate Ament brings to Tennessee basketball as five-star commit: ‘He’s a pro’

Nate Ament is the latest five-star for Tennessee basketball

Ament, who plays at Highland School in Warrenton, Virginia, visited Tennessee on Jan. 28 for its game against Kentucky at Food City Center. He took an official visit to UT for the Alabama football game on Oct. 19. Barnes visited Ament on April 14 as the Vols coach worked to close the recruitment.

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Ament is the seventh five-star prospect to commit to Tennessee under Barnes and the first since the 2022 class.

Julian Phillips, Kennedy Chandler, Jaden Springer and Keon Johnson all were one-and-done as five-stars at Tennessee.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Nate Ament: Tennessee forward projected to be top-5 2026 NBA Draft pick