Bucks Draft Nate Ament With No. 13 Pick

Ament was a somewhat polarizing prospect leading up to the draft. Projected as a top-five pick entering the 2025/26 season, he struggled with his shot during his lone college season at Tennessee, making just 39.9% of his field goal attempts, including 33.3% of his three-pointers.

However, as Jeremy Woo of ESPN outlines, the 6’10” forward also possesses “a tantalizing mix of size, fluidity, perimeter skill,” which helped sell many scouts and executives on his star potential.

Despite struggling to score efficiently as a freshman, Ament still put up impressive numbers for the Volunteers, averaging 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.0 steal in 29.7 minutes per game across 35 contests (all starts). He battled an ankle/knee injury near the end of the season that limited his effectiveness in the NCAA tournament — he went scoreless in the Volunteers’ round-of-64 game and scored just seven points on 2-of-12 shooting when the team was blown out in the Elite Eight by Michigan, the eventual champs.

The most worrisome part of Ament’s statistical profile is that he struggled to finish through contact and score at the rim in college, shooting just 43.0% on two-pointers despite being 6’10”. He’s not a great athlete compared to top NBA players. On the other hand, he was one of the best players in the country at drawing fouls, averaging 7.1 free throw attempts per game.

While Ament is viewed as more of a long-term prospect who will have to continue to improve to live up to a lottery pick, it’s rare to find wing players with his skill set. If he maximizes his potential, he could end up being a steal at No. 13.

Ament has a clear pathway to minutes and development on the Bucks, who have a gaping hole at forward in the wake of the Antetokounmpo trade. They’re receiving Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Jaime Jaquez Jr. in that deal and still have veteran Kyle Kuzma, though he could be moved if Milwaukee continues to trend younger. The Bucks also have a somewhat similar player to Ament in Ousmane Dieng, a potential restricted free agent.

Ament, 19, was frequently linked to the Bucks leading up to the draft. He’ll join No. 10 overall pick Brayden Burries and incumbent guard Ryan Rollins as part of the young nucleus in Milwaukee.