Do you think Nate Ament will come back?

[TheMookieMonster]

The frustrating thing is we could actually figure this out if draft express wasn't shut down.

They have a mock draft history for all players. But where the site is closed now it doesn't really work well anymore.

I tried to look up Blake and it didn't work.

I did get a near definitive answer of a player though as a comp outside Marcus Smart.

James Harden. He was mocked late lottery. returned and drafted 3rd.

I saw somewhere online that Griffin was projected in the 10-16 range before deciding to come back and go #1 overall the next year.

 

[adam.vol]

I dived into that one and the answer seems to be a pretty resounding no. He improved his stock massively from 2nd rounder / late 1st at best in his final year.

That’s surprising. I suppose it comes down to which team needs a specialist player. Edey was never fluid enough to play any role.

 

[ochocinco]

Late 1st would be shocking based on where nearly every single mock has him going. Unless by late 1st, you mean outside the top 14?

20-25 range. A lot here were shocked with Knechts spot too. I’ve said before most all of these mocks are done by copy and paste fans that normally cover an entirely different sport. Very few are even decent. Griffin was definitely projected top 10 maybe even 5 came back and went 1. Of course it’s really hard to find examples of specific situations limited to only a few players a year when many don’t have the option. A lot of posters here see Nate as having skill rather than potential. People claim he’s a great shooter and ball handler when he’s neither. He was a good player last season. He hasn’t shown he can handle anything in the NBA.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

20-25 range. A lot here were shocked with Knechts spot too. I’ve said before most all of these mocks are done by copy and paste fans that normally cover an entirely different sport. Very few are even decent. Griffin was definitely projected top 10 maybe even 5 came back and went 1. Of course it’s really hard to find examples of specific situations limited to only a few players a year when many don’t have the option. A lot of posters here see Nate as having skill rather than potential. People claim he’s a great shooter and ball handler when he’s neither. He was a good player last season. He hasn’t shown he can handle anything in the NBA.

He's not a great ball handler but good one. He's a good passer too. That's a skill of his that is never mentioned in this forum. Barnes said more than once that he was the most skilled passer on the team

 

[VOLtaism]

outside top 10 right now maybe a dalton type 17 pick.his agent thinks if he comes back he would go number 1 next year.always listnen to your agent...lol

Wasn't Dalton predicted top go as high as 6th, definite top 12 and ended up at 17? That is a lot of money off target of course Dalton had no choice.

 

[tennesseeduke]

I think he'll come back!
View attachment 827988

Yes because if he’s not a top 15 draft pick, he will make more in college next season.

 

[VolArmy74]

Not that recent, but Marcus Smart is one that comes to mind. Maybe Kris Dunn, but he was a 4 year guy, but certainly would've been drafted after his junior year. PJ Washington counts for sure. Franz Wagner as well. I can't really conform where most of these guys were mocked the year before they came out, but I believe all of them certainly improved their draft position by playing another year.

There's also this, "Early projections suggest the 2027 NBA Draft class is considered one of the weakest in recent memory, with talent evaluators describing it as lacking elite, top-tier star power compared to previous years." LINK. That's another good reason. He honestly does have a good shot at being top 5 at least.

PJ Washington was mocked between 40th and 60th after his freshman year. Freshman Wagner was projected around 40th. He actually went to the NBA when he started being projected in the top 15.

 

[VolArmy74]

If I were Coach Barnes, I’d play the Peyton Manning card. Call Peyton and get him to take Nate out to dinner and just share with him what Peyton faced and whether he felt it was worth another year. Hearing that from someone who faced similar decisions and outcomes may be helpful for Nate.

Last word I saw from Barnes, he was encouraging Nate to go to the NBA.

 

[jackaro]

I remember when Peyton Manning announced he was returning for his senior year there was an article that said Peyton may be the only NFL capable player that grew up dreaming of playing in college and not the NFL. This made a lot of sense to me considering the crappy teams his dad played for in the NFL. If Ament grew up dreaming of playing in the NBA then everything before that is just a means to an end. He got well paid here and I hope he enjoyed himself but if his goal has always been the NBA there is no reason to stick around. I have no idea if it would be better for him to develop another year under Barnes or jump right into the NBA and risk washing out because he is not ready.

 

[adam.vol]

Wasn't Dalton predicted top go as high as 6th, definite top 12 and ended up at 17? That is a lot of money off target of course Dalton had no choice.

If you aren’t sure where you’re going to go in the draft, then it’s not safe to assume you’ll go in the top 10. There are a few players who just know they won’t slide past the first few picks and then there’s everyone else.

 

[molsen81]

Take the money and run...............but it's not quite that simple when you calculate the math

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

I remember when Peyton Manning announced he was returning for his senior year there was an article that said Peyton may be the only NFL capable player that grew up dreaming of playing in college and not the NFL. This made a lot of sense to me considering the crappy teams his dad played for in the NFL. If Ament grew up dreaming of playing in the NBA then everything before that is just a means to an end. He got well paid here and I hope he enjoyed himself but if his goal has always been the NBA there is no reason to stick around. I have no idea if it would be better for him to develop another year under Barnes or jump right into the NBA and risk washing out because he is not ready.

There's no risk to washing out if he goes in there determined to work hard. He can spend far more time developing his skills and strength in the NBA than he can in college. That being said, sticking around with Barnes for another year can't do anything but help him and it's likely he would be drafted higher next year than he will this year

 

[cncchris33]

There's no risk to washing out if he goes in there determined to work hard. He can spend far more time developing his skills and strength in the NBA than he can in college. That being said, sticking around with Barnes for another year can't do anything but help him and it's likely he would be drafted higher next year than he will this year

Sure there is. He could struggle to develop physically (even with hard work) and never be able to take the physical rigor of the NBA, potentially leading to additional injuries. He could struggle with the mental aspect of learning NBA concepts. He could struggle to further develop his physical skills (shot, handle, defense) to an NBA level. Working hard will help to curb those risks, but simply working hard isn't a guarantee of success.

 

[HardKnoxVol]

Doesn't sound like the staff is working very hard to keep him...

 

[tennrich1]

I personally will be massively surprised (notice didnt say shocked...nothing shocks me these days...much) if he stays with the Vols. I just think he holds all the intangible an NBA program needs. CLEARLY...once he gets a little stronger, coupled with his athletic ability, he'll be terribly hard to defend. Would I love to see him next season with us....uh, yeah....but I think its probably a done deal . NBA is what he's dreamed of since finding an interest in basketball...JMO

 

[pimo1]

I dont think they'd be pushing so hard for Juke if they expected Ament back. Wed take either one of them but not both (money) also with the spots we have left we need a couple bigs. We have right now what 3 bigs on roster and another 3 guys that could fit on the 4/5 spot in a pinch.

 

[Just a VolinTears]

He, in fact, is not coming back

 

[CBVols]

Doesn't sound like the staff is working very hard to keep him...

Why in the world would the staff be working hard to Keep him? Thier job is to prepare these young men for thier next phases of life and to help them along that path by doing what they believe is in the very best interest of the player. CRB has said multiple times that he thinks Ament is one of the Top player in the draft and he doesn't beleive there is a difficult decsion to make. Ament will do great in the combine and I belive when NBA GMs/coaches interview him that he will impress them even more. He is a high character, well spoken young man and will do very well in the future.

 

[adam.vol]

Why in the world would the staff be working hard to Keep him? Thier job is to prepare these young men for thier next phases of life and to help them along that path by doing what they believe is in the very best interest of the player. CRB has said multiple times that he thinks Ament is one of the Top player in the draft and he doesn't beleive there is a difficult decsion to make. Ament will do great in the combine and I belive when NBA GMs/coaches interview him that he will impress them even more. He is a high character, well spoken young man and will do very well in the future.

Their job is to entertain us fans. Before that it was to offer a path towards a college diploma.

So fanciful and unappreciative of any coach who believes anything else.

 

[walkenvol]

Why in the world would the staff be working hard to Keep him? Thier job is to prepare these young men for thier next phases of life and to help them along that path by doing what they believe is in the very best interest of the player. CRB has said multiple times that he thinks Ament is one of the Top player in the draft and he doesn't beleive there is a difficult decsion to make. Ament will do great in the combine and I belive when NBA GMs/coaches interview him that he will impress them even more. He is a high character, well spoken young man and will do very well in the future.

Their job is to win basketball games while following the university in a positive manner. Since they retained one viable player and one injured player from last years squad, it tells me their long term concern for the players is cursory at best. I used to share your belief but no more. JMO

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

Their job is to entertain us fans. Before that it was to offer a path towards a college diploma.

So fanciful and unappreciative of any coach who believes anything else.

Their job is to field a competitive team that wins most of their games to compete on a national level. Being entertained by it are the results of doing their job at a high level

 

[adam.vol]

Their job is to field a competitive team that wins most of their games to compete on a national level. Being entertained by it are the results of doing their job at a high level

There is a method to keep the money rolling in, but let’s not forget the resounding “it’s a business” that we hear from everyone, every day. There is no business without consumers.

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

There is a method to keep the money rolling in, but let’s not forget the resounding “it’s a business” that we hear from everyone, every day. There is no business without consumers.

Exactly, and the consumers are plentiful here because Barnes is a high level coach

 

[Bigorangefan 98]

Lock in juke…

 

[YepThatDude]

I dont think he's coming back. What do I win?