Projected lottery pick Nate Ament has declared for the 2026 NBA draft, the freshman forward announced on Instagram.
Ament averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game for Tennessee in 2025/26 and was named to the All-SEC second team. The 6’10” forward struggled with efficiency over the course of the season, shooting 39.9% from the field and 33.3% from three despite being a capable shot-maker.
Ament found his rhythm towards the end of the season, putting together a 10-game stretch from January to mid-February in which he averaged 23.4 PPG and 6.5 RPG while hitting 38.1% of his 4.2 three-point attempts per game.
Ament is ninth on Jeremy Woo’s mock draft for ESPN and comes in at No. 8 on his big board. According to Woo, the 19-year-old likely won’t be able to come in and immediately contribute to winning at the NBA level, but has an interesting mix of fluidity and skill for his size. Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report has Ament at No. 13 on his mock draft, citing the contrast between his potential as a three-level scorer and concerns about his lack of burst or strength.
Early entrants who won’t be automatically eligible have until the end of the day on Friday to declare for the 2026 NBA draft.