Nate Ament has gone from a sure-fire NBA Draft declaration to a — well — we’ll see. The former 5-star prospect had a rocky start to his time with Tennessee, but turned it on in SEC play to show everyone why he was among the top five prospects in last year’s class.
The 6-10 freshman isn’t a lock to go inside of the top ten though, currently sitting in the middle of an absolutely loaded lottery draft class. In some of the previous year’s classes, Ament would be a no-brainer top five selection. However, this year’s group is one of the best we’ve seen in several years, which has clouded Ament’s projection.
Ament’s range currently seems slotted into the 8-16 range, which begs the question — would he simply be better off by punting a year and returning to Knoxville for his sophomore season? It’s certainly on the table, and based on the growth we saw from Ament throughout the season, it’s an exciting thought. Ament could benefit from another season in Tennessee’s strength program, which has a track record of transforming guys like Grant Williams, Admiral Schofield, Yves Pons and plenty of others into totally different players.
The question, of course, comes down to money. Based on the NBA rookie contract scale from this past season, Ament could earn $5.7 million as the No. 8 pick as a rookie. That number moves all the way down to $3.6 million as the 16th overall pick. Tennessee reportedly paid Ament over $4 million this past season. That number would obviously move up substantially if Ament were to return.
Ament has until Friday to make his initial NBA Draft decision.
He can declare, but still keep the door open for a return. Ament would then go through the NBA Draft process, gather information from teams, then make a final decision by May 27th.
Tennessee has already added VCU guard Terrence Hill Jr., Notre Dame forward Jalen Haralson, Belmont guard Tyler Lundblade, Cal guard Dai Dai Ames and Loyola-Chicago rim-protecting center Miles Rubin. The Volunteers are in hot pursuit of Wake Forest guard Juke Harris, who will take a similar feel-it-out process with the NBA Draft as Ament will.
Rick Barnes has depth needs left in the front court regardless of Ament or Harris’ decision. Expect that to be addressed in the coming week as Tennessee gets a feel for what comes next.
