As the Milwaukee Bucks chart their course through unknown waters, all eyes are on the 2026 NBA Draft, where much of their direction for the future will be decided. Regardless of whether they pull the trigger on a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, this will be the highest draft selection that GM Jon Horst has made in his Bucks tenure, giving Milwaukee a shot at cost-controlled young talent in one of the most highly touted drafts of this century.
One name frequently linked to the Bucks in mock drafts is Nate Ament, a freshman forward who burst onto the scene at Tennessee, averaging 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 35 games for the Volunteers. A layered prospect with eye-popping measurables and the skill to match, Ament has shown poise beyond his years playing for a young team that scrapped its way through the SEC.
As pointed out by Dalton Sell of Behind the Bucks Pass, there's a clear link between Milwaukee and Ament that could curry favor for the 19-year-old, and that's Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam — a Tennessee alum who just recently made the largest donation commitment in the university's history at $130 million.
Although that off-court connection might be one factor in the larger conversation, it's Ament's intangibles that make him most intriguing for the Bucks on draft night.
Drafting Nate Ament would address the Milwaukee Bucks' dire frontcourt rotation.
Aside from Giannis himself, who is no longer a lock to be on the team next year, the Bucks' biggest position of need is clearly at the forward positions. While the emergence of Ousmane Dieng put a band-aid on the situation, Horst needs to ensure Milwaukee is equipped with the size and mobility needed to keep up in today's game. Aside from schematic issues, size disadvantages were one of the biggest killers for a Milwaukee team adapting to life without Giannis last year.
Ament's track record as a defender is up and down. Although he's capable of using his length and size at approx. 6-foot-11, 211 lbs to his advantage on that side, it'll take some time for him to become the on-ball defender that his measurables imply he's capable of. Nonetheless, he's shown flashes of being a defensive playmaker on the weak side, soaring in for blocks or intercepting passes to generate fastbreak opportunities for his team, with the length to contest shots anywhere on the court.
These are the types of risks Milwaukee is faced with at the No. 10 spot. The top four players in this year's draft class are a near-lock, but how the order falls after that is a bit of a crapshoot. There's a ton of talent, but there are also a lot of clear weaknesses facing teams down in the mid-to-late lottery. When considering whether to draft Ament, the Bucks will likely acknowledge that you can teach a player how to be a cerebral, effective defender, but you can't teach that kind of size and mobility.
As of right now, there are no true small forwards on the Bucks roster for the 2026 NBA season. Since joining the team, Kuzma has been forced out of his natural position at the four to fill the gap, with AJ Green and Gary Trent Jr. — two players who are clearly shooting guards — stretching out to the three-spot all year. Dieng is a restricted free agent who is expected to return to Milwaukee, and veteran Taurean Prince is unrestricted coming off a neck injury that sidelined him for most of last year.
Tennessee didn't have the roster construction or strategy to put Ament in the best position this season, yet he still managed a near 20 point per game season as a 19-year-old freshman. There are enough raw skills in his bag to get him on an NBA court next season, with a clear idea for how to empower him.
Playing with established players at the guard and center positions will be a tremendous change of pace for Ament. Instead of being a focal point of the opponent's defensive game plan, he'll most likely start as the low man on the totem pole, which will allow him to find scoring opportunities on the catch-and-shoot, off the dribble, and by hanging around the basket.
If Giannis remains with the team next season, he'd be an incredible mentor and running mate for Ament. Few players have on-court gravity the way Giannis does, and the Bucks have been desperately seeking players who can take advantage of the space their star player creates. That's the dream for a player like Ament, who has a sweet shooting stroke when focused and loves to show off his finesse in the paint.
Ament isn't a perfect prospect by any means, but now more than ever, having mobile forwards with a diverse skill set helps teams break away from the competition when you need it most. Assuming that head coach Taylor Jenkins has an idea in mind for how to revamp the team's defensive scheme, we could be in line for a major turnaround on that side of the floor in Milwaukee this season, and Ament has a real chance to make the jump.
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