Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball freshman forward Nate Ament was the highest-rated recruit in program history. But he may not want to go pro yet.
Ament, who chose Tennessee over programs including Duke as well as Kentucky and Arkansas, was widely seen as a one-and-done prospect before the collegiate season began. After an up-and-down campaign with high highs and relatively quiet lows, Ament still remains a projected first-round pick in USA TODAY’s most recent 2026 NBA mock draft.
Advertisement
The freshman averaged 21.6 points per game, while shooting 38.9 percent on 3-pointers, during a 13-game stretch before suffering an injury playing against Alabama on Feb. 28. The All-SEC forward then had 27 points (4-of-6 on 3-pointers) with eight rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal against Auburn on March 12.
He was, however, not as efficient during March Madness for the Volunteers. As such, he may look to capitalize on his draft stock when his value is at its highest. In his case, according to Kevin O’Connor, that is potentially next season (via Yahoo):
“Tennessee fans are waiting for Ament to choose whether to return to college or head to the NBA. League front office executives tell me that his agency, LIFT Sports Management, is split on the decision because they believe that Ament could be the No. 1 pick in 2027. If Ament falls outside of the lottery, he’d be playing for less money this year and potentially hurting his future earnings. For financial reasons it may make sense to return, and more importantly, for his own development to get one more year to improve physically and progress his skills.”
The 2027 NBA Draft is widely considered less strong than the 2026 NBA Draft, so he may have a decent position against slightly less enticing players. Plus, he can continue to collect a decent amount of money through NIL while in college.
Ament would follow other top prospects including Thomas Haugh (Florida), Patrick Ngongba (Duke), Braylon Mullins (UConn), Pryce Sandfort (Nebraska), Alex Condon (Florida), Joseph Tugler (Houston), and David Mirkovic (Illinois) with a decision to return to college basketball.
Advertisement
All players must declare as early entry candidates for the 2026 NBA Draft before the conclusion of April 24. They can later withdraw from the pre-draft process and return to college before the conclusion of May 27. The 2026 NBA Draft is in Brooklyn on June 23 and June 24 at Barclays Center.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: A top NBA prospects may return to NCAA to aim for No. 1 pick in 2027
