The Tennessee Volunteers haven’t exactly been a school that you would typically associate with the NBA Draft, but that’s been changing in a big way under Rick Barnes for the past several seasons. Going back to Grant Williams, Admiral Schofield, then Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer…. eventually leading to Dalton Knecht, Chaz Lanier and Jahmai Mashack — Barnes has turned Tennessee into a place where you can develop into a pro.
This year brings perhaps his best pro prospect yet, Nate Ament. The former 5-star prospect took a little while to settle in this past season, but once he did you saw exactly why he was billed as one of the top players in the country. Ament decided to turn pro after one season in Knoxville, as expected, and he’s largely projected as a lottery pick in next week’s NBA Draft.
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Tennessee also will likely see point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and center Felix Okpara come off the board in round two.
Nate Ament
SBNation: No. 10 overall to the Milwaukee Bucks
Yahoo Sports: No. 11 overall to the Golden State Warriors
NBADraft.net: No. 7 overall to the Sacramento Kings
Ament’s slow start was quickly forgotten by the time SEC play rolled around as the 6-10 wing really got things going. His late game heroics salted games away late for Rick Barnes as the slender slasher forced his way to the rim and drew fouls at a ridiculously high rate. His perimeter shooting came along as well, becoming much more consistent late in the year. An ankle injury derailed his final games as a Volunteer.
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Ament will need to get stronger and more consistent, but there’s quite a bit to work with here.
Ja’Kobi Gillespie
Yahoo Sports: No. 47 overall to the Phoenix Suns
NBADraft.net: No. 41 overall to the Miami Heat
Gillespie returned home to Tennessee to cap off his college career, filling the shoes of the departing Zakai Zeigler at point guard. He delivered in that role as Tennessee’s go-to playmaker, averaging over 18 points per game. Gillespie added 5.4 assists per game and was a menace defensively, grabbing over two steals per contest. He set a Tennessee record with 79 steals on the year, along with the single-game mark of eight coming against Oklahoma.
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Gillespie is undersized at 6-1 and plays a little too streaky in both directions, but his playmaking and shooting should bring some instant value off the bench.
Felix Okpara
Yahoo Sports: No. 49 overall to the Denver Nuggets
NBADraft.net: No. 50 overall to the Toronto Raptors
If you could build a center in a lab for Rick Barnes, it would probably look a lot like Felix Okpara. The 6-11, 242 pound big man was Tennessee’s rim protector for two seasons after transferring in from Ohio State. Okpara registered 243 career blocks over four seasons, locking down the paint for both the Volunteers and Buckeyes.
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Okpara worked offensively as a lob-catcher for Gillespie, with his points coming up to average eight per game in his senior season. Okpara averaged just over six rebounds per game in his final three seasons in college.
He now projects as a rotational big at the next level with legitimate, big-time defensive ability.
Also of note: Former Vol Tobe Awaka is projected to land in the second round by Yahoo at No. 51 overall. Cameron Carr is a likely first round pick, being projected as high as No. 13 overall by NBADraft.net.
