Nate Ament faces a complicated decision regarding his future, weighing the option of entering the NBA Draft against returning to the Tennessee Volunteers for another season. Initially expected to be a top-five pick, his prospects have become uncertain.
Nate Ament's NBA decision has gotten super complicated for Tennessee Volunteers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Nate Ament has a decision to make.
Does the freshman phenom go to the NBA Draft? Or does he stay at Tennessee for a second season with the Volunteers?
Before this college basketball season, the expectation was that Ament would be one-and-done and contend for a top-five pick.
Now, it's not as certain.
Ament would definitely go in the first round if he enters the draft. But would he go high enough to justify leaving the guaranteed earnings and role with the Vols?
Even more, Ament could potentially elevate his draft stock for the 2027 draft, which has a lot less talent expected to be on the board than this year.
“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,” The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor wrote. “If Ament falls outside of the lottery, he’d be playing for less money this year and potentially hurting his future earnings.”
Mock drafts have Ament right on the fringe of the lottery (top-14) or just outside it.
“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,” O’Connor wrote.
Ament put up 16.7 points per game for Tennessee as a freshman, but he was pushed around at times as he could still benefit from adding some strength, and he wasn't an efficient shooter.
If he came out and had an All-American season as a sophomore, that definitely could push him up NBA boards next season.
No decision has been made yet, but it's going to be one to watch.
Nate Ament's decision is complicated by shifting expectations regarding his draft stock and the possibility of returning to Tennessee for another season.
While he was initially projected as a top-five pick, recent developments have made his entry into the NBA Draft less certain.
Ament's choice to stay or leave will significantly affect the Volunteers' roster and their prospects for the next college basketball season.
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