Tennessee Vols forward Nate Ament is hoping to be a lottery selection when the 2026 NBA Draft gets underway later this week.

Ament has the size and length that NBA teams love, but there are questions about his scoring efficiency and his explosiveness.

“He was inefficient scoring the ball at Tennessee, making just 43% of 2-point attempts and particularly struggled as a finisher,” wrote ESPN’s Jeremy Woo last week. “His below-average speed and explosiveness could limit how much offense he’ll provide in the NBA.”

Woo also noted that Ament “has a tantalizing mix of size, fluidity, perimeter skill and shot-making potential, fitting a coveted forward archetype that is difficult to find in any draft,” so there’s plenty for NBA teams to salivate over despite the questions about his scoring efficiency.

NBA scout says Nate Ament took the hard road by playing for Rick Barnes at Tennessee

The Athletic recently spoke to numerous scouts and coaches about the players in the NBA Draft and Ament was one of the players discussed.

A Western Conference scout told The Athletic that he respects that Ament took the “hard road” by playing for Rick Barnes at Tennessee.

“Ament took the hard road, which I respect,” said the scout. “Ament didn’t have to go play for Rick Barnes. He elected to take the Rick Barnes a— whipping. Rick is old school. I went to Tennessee’s practice. And every year I go to Rick and say, ‘Thank you for a college practice.’ Most college practices today look like pro practices. If you’re in a scrimmage with Rick Barnes, and you turn the ball over, sub yourself out and give me 45 (seconds) on the VersaClimber. I don’t care if it’s Nate Ament or Ja’Kobi Gillespie. Forty-five on the VersaClimber, to remind you: we don’t turn the f—ing ball over.”

A college basketball assistant coach who faced Ament and the Vols this past season told The Athletic that playing for Barnes was “one of the best moves he could have ever made” because it improved the Virginia native’s physicality.

“That kid is dynamic,” said the assistant. “Seeing how he’s progressed the last three years, and going with Rick Barnes, it really toughened him up, and playing in the SEC, I think it was one of the best moves he could have ever made. I questioned his toughness coming out of high school. That changed a lot this year at Tennessee, playing in the SEC. It’s a tough league. It’s fouling. You have to be tough in this league, or you can’t play. He took a huge jump in his physicality.”

Ament obviously isn’t a finished product, and he still has room to grow as a player, but playing for Barnes clearly helped his reputation in the eyes of scouts and decision-makers.