There isn’t a more polarizing prospect in the 2026 NBA Draft than Tennessee’s Nate Ament.
Coming into the season, Ament was a projected top-five pick that was given an outside chance to jump into the elite top-three of AJ Dybansta, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer that has defined much of the discourse throughout this draft cycle. He didn’t make that leap. In fact, after moving up from high school and AAU to the SEC, Ament struggled with increased physicality at the rim and had an inefficient season, shooting 39% from the floor and 33% from 3.
He tumbled down boards, even falling out of the lottery in some mock drafts. But, as it always seems to go, those in the media are starting to catch up to the league. Ament’s rare frame, shooting upside, guard skills, the fact that he plays the most valuable position in the NBA as a big wing and his pedigree have him as a late riser in the process, with buzz starting as early as No. 6 to the Brooklyn Nets.
So, what are the specifics that make him just so polarizing? Here, we’ll go over why: while the fans and media may be lower on Ament, those picking in the top 12 were always going to be enamored with him, and that includes the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Positives
Rare size and fluidity
As we’re seeing in the NBA Finals, size is, and always will be, at a premium in the NBA. O.G. Anunoby just used his blend of size and athleticism to highlight the largest comeback in NBA Finals history. The headliner of the other team is a 7-foot-4+ alien who is going to define the next era of professional basketball.
Whenever you need a stop or a rebound, it seems to be a large person who is doing it. That’s Ament’s best trait. He’s giant. He came in at 6-9.5 without shoes, meaning he’s already playing at over 6-10. On top of that, NBA doctors found that he could still grow up to two inches. He’s also long, with a wingspan of 6-11.5 that he showed flashes of being able to use to protect the rim when he gets switched onto smaller players on the drive.
Separate from his stature is just how beautiful his jumper is, which is helped by his crazy high release that, if developed correctly, could become a nuclear weapon in the vein of Brandon Ingram on the low end and something LIKE (not the same) Kevin Durant on the high end. His combination of existing size, potential to grow, pure jumper that he releases high would be appealing in a prospect that was chained to the paint; Ament is not.
He is far more comfortable on the perimeter than he is down low. He has a smooth handle that he can turn into shots off the bounce, which he actually was more efficient with than he was on catch-and-shoot looks. The way it looks with Ament, even when it’s bad, is why I’m higher on him than most. His game is so smooth at such a large size and he was tasked with creating tough look after tough look for a Tennessee team that had little to no shot creation outside of Ament and fellow prospect Ja’Kobi Gillespie.
As is on display in the workout above, Ament runs like a deer in transition with smooth, graceful steps and a clean handle that isn’t reflected in his 2.3 turnovers per game, yet another part of his “struggles” that I chalk up to role and personnel on a Vols team that had no business making the Elite 8.
Ament’s weaknesses are real, but he has a rare blend of size and speed that nobody else in the 5-14 range in this draft class can offer.
Genuine superstar upside
Sam Presti, come on down.
Look at the draft history of OKC’s czar. Instead of hitting singles in the first round, he almost always goes for the home run, going all the way back to OKC’s first era. Serge Ibaka was a lesser-known, uber-athletic big man from Congo. Perry Jones was a big, toolsy former five-star. Mitch McGary was a gifted headcase. Not to mention guys like Terrance Ferguson, Darius Bazley, Aleksej Pokusevski and Nikola Topic. He’s a clean-up hitter, not your leadoff guy.
There isn’t more of a home run swing in the bottom of the ninth, down-by-a-run guy in this class than Ament. If he hits, you’re looking at Brandon Ingram at the worst. A tough-shot-making, gigantic, impossible-to-guard when he’s on, 6-11 wing who can be an unstoppable force. If he misses, maybe he’s more like Atlanta’s Zaccharie Risacher. Someone who’s tied to the corner and struggles with NBA physicality, and if the 3-point shot isn’t elite, he’s probably not a player.
For multiple reasons, I think Ament has a far higher ceiling than Risacher, a player his detractors have often compared him to. He showed flashes of elite off-the-bounce shotmaking at Tennessee, something that Risacher never showed in an inferior league during his time as a prospect in France.
I can’t say enough how much I think Ament’s efficiency stats were skewed by situation. Should he end up in OKC, he’ll be asked to be a secondary creator and corner 3-point shooter at first. With tertiary defenders across from him for the first time in his basketball career, Ament’s size, fluidity and speed will have more opportunities to shine through.
Ament’s comfort level with the ball in the midrange is something that could be his biggest asset if he works out in the NBA. He’s already great at attacking closeouts to get lanes to open shots, and if he can ever get better at the rim, mixed with an already dangerous midrange game, his scoring upside could be up there with Peterson and Dybansta in this class.
He also has elite defensive upside. His near 7-foot wingspan, solid agility on the perimeter, and at least 6-10 stature make his body that of a high-impact defender; it’ll just come down to whether or not Ament wants to turn his flashes into a consistent strength, another reason why I’m increasingly thinking he’s a good fit in OKC.
Negatives
Lack of physicality at the rim
Ament’s glaring offensive weakness, one that trickles down and impacts the rest of his game, is obvious.
He’s weak at the rim. It sounds harsh, but it’s clear when watching him. He got little to no opportunities in the dunker spot due to his offensive role, 3-point prowess and skinny frame, so his finishing in that regard is kind of an unknown, but when he drives, it usually looks like a struggle for Ament. He shot only 48% at the rim with the Vols and dunked 13 times on the season despite often having runways to the rim with the ball.
The frustrating part with his finishing in particular is that he did show flashes of being a monster at the rim. He has a frame that looks like it can add more weight, so he’s unlikely to be this slight forever, but he’ll have to get better attacking the rim to overcome these struggles whether he gains weight or not.
Naturally, that will be an issue for him playing as a small-ball center, which will happen with him, especially if he grows to 6-11 or 7-foot. But on offense, it could be the singular swing factor for whether Ament sticks around as a role player or makes that leap to superstar. If he can get more consistent at the rim, and his efficiency on the jumper can get to where I expect it with easier looks in the NBA, he can be a 1A option in the league at his highest outcome.
Ament’s lack of physicality down low is a frustrating part of his game for a prospect I really like otherwise, but it is clearly an issue for a prospect that is undeniably boom or bust.
How does he scale down
I am nearing a deal to patent this as “Jonathan Kuminga Paradox.”
Kuminga is an extremely talented player who has flashes of being the player so many thought he would become before the 2021 draft. But to reach those heights, he has to have the ball, and if he has the ball, your offense is going to be inefficient, and if your offense is inefficient, your chances to win important games are dead on arrival.
I don’t think Ament is in the same “I’m the star or nothing,” tier as Kuminga. He’s a far better shooter and did have moments of being the second fiddle to Gillespie last season at Tennessee. But the question has to be asked, especially when looking at an OKC fit. Every player on OKC has played different roles at some point or another in their careers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t a starter for most of his time at Kentucky and he was a support player with the Clippers. Jalen Williams was a lightly recruited guard who grew to a wing and emerged as a star at Santa Clara. Chet Holmgren was the fourth option at Gonzaga. Cason Wallace had a usage rate below 20% despite being a five-star during his time at Kentucky.
Ament, to his credit, has been the best player on every team he’s ever been on. He was the highest-rated recruit in Tennessee history and was on a team with one other creator of any kind. He was a monster who flirted with becoming the No. 1 prospect in the country in a class with Peterson, Dybasnta and Boozer. He’s never not been his team’s star.
If he comes to OKC, he’s never going to be that guy, even if he works out. Gilgeous-Alexander is who he is, a two-time MVP and generational talent. Williams is a monster on both ends of the floor who stirs the drink for OKC when it’s really throwing its fast ball. Even Holmgren, who came under fire after the Western Conference Finals, just made All-NBA and is one of the best defensive players in the world.
Ament will have to learn to camp in the corner, cut, and bring it every night on defense, at least at first, if he winds up in a place like Atlanta, Dallas, or OKC. If he ends up in Brooklyn, shoot away, but should he catch the eye of Presti, as so many like him have in the past, and end up with OKC, he’ll have to be a role player for the first time in his basketball career, and until we see it, that’s always a risk.
Why I like him for OKC
I’m in the minority of NBA fans with this opinion, but I’m fairly bullish on Ament to be something in the NBA.
I understand the reservations with how underwhelming his season at Tennessee was relative to the expectations and the performance of other freshmen in this class. But I truly believe his ultimate destiny is likely to be a supporting star with the chance to go to another level. If Ament is guarded by the best defenders in the league, his athleticism isn’t where it needs to be unless he develops a knockdown jumper, which he hasn’t at this point.
But he fills one of the few things OKC doesn’t have: big wings. The New York Knicks are nearing a championship with a team that features Anunoby and Mikal Bridges. OKC has Williams, but after him there is nobody. I’m also a buyer of Ament’s shooting upside, especially from the corner, which is a key to beating the defense of the Spurs, the matchup OKC needs to be focusing on when team-building.
He could fall flat, but he could also hit massively, and based on Presti’s track record, that could be all he needs to pull the trigger on an unpopular prospect among fans.
