Tennessee Basketball’s Nate Ament dropped to No. 7 overall in ESPN’s most recent ranking of the top 100 prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft. The five-star freshman wing had previously been ranked as high as No. 4.
Ament through the first 12 games of his college basketball career is averaging 15.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
“It’s not altogether surprising that Ament has struggled with efficiency while adjusting to the size and physicality of the college game,” ESPN NBA Draft analyst Jeremy Woo wrote last week. “NBA teams perennially value oversized, skilled perimeter players in his mold, which will earn him the benefit of patience. It’s fair to say he has looked farther from impacting an NBA game than expected, though.”
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Ament had eight points, five rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes in the 94-52 win over Gardner-Webb on Sunday. He had 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists in the 83-62 win over Louisville last Tuesday.
He’s shooting 38.0% from the field this season and 30.4% from the 3-point line.
Ament has scored 20 or more points three times, including a career-high 23 points against Northern Kentucky. He had 20 against both Kansas and Rutgers in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas and had a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds against Rice in November.
ESPN currently projects Kansas freshman guard Darryn Peterson as the No. 1 prospect available in the NBA Draft, ahead of BYU forward AJ Dybantsa, Duke forward Cameron Boozer, North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson and Louisville freshman point guard Mikel Brown Jr. Also ranked ahead of Ament is Houston point guard Kingston Flemings.
Rounding out the top 10 are Arizona forward Koa Peat, Kentucky center Jayden Quaintance and UConn shooting guard Braylon Mullins.
Tennessee Basketball’s NBA Draft history
The highest NBA Draft pick during the Rick Barnes era is Dalton Knecht at No. 17 overall to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2024. Allan Houston was the No. 11 overall pick in 1993, Dale Ellis went at No. 9 overall in 1983 and Bernard King and Ernie Grunfeld were the No. 7 and No. 11 overall picks, respectively, in 1977. Tom Boerwinkle was the No. 4 overall pick 1968.
“Ament’s finishing and 3-point shooting (37.4% from the field and 28.9% from three) have been subpar,” Woo wrote, “and he’s not explosive downhill or off the dribble, leading to some shaky moments. He has managed to be productive (16.3 points and 7.1 rebounds) in spite of that, and whether he ultimately slips in the draft will hinge on his full body of work, not just a tricky first month.
“While Ament hasn’t helped himself thus far, the rarity of his skill set and obvious long-term upside warrants patience.”