The buzz around Tennessee basketball is heating up, and for good reason. Forward Nate Ament is turning heads with a projected top-10 selection in the latest NBA mock draft, signaling big things ahead for the Volunteers standout.

As the NBA draft lottery approaches on May 10 at Chicago's McCormick Place Convention Center (3 p.m. EDT, ABC), anticipation is building. The lottery will set the stage by determining the top four picks for the 2026 NBA Draft, which is scheduled for June 23-24 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

USA TODAY Sports recently released a first-round mock draft, powered by Microsoft Copilot AI, to forecast where the top prospects might land. The AI tool assigned draft order based on regular-season NBA records and lottery tiebreakers, then analyzed team needs, prospect evaluations, and potential pick swaps to build out the selections.

According to the projections, Ament is slotted as the No. 10 overall pick, heading to the Milwaukee Bucks. This placement underscores the forward's rising stock and the impact he's made on the court this season, making him one to watch as draft day draws nearer.

For fans tracking Tennessee's path to the pros, Ament's potential early selection adds another exciting chapter to the program's growing legacy in the NBA pipeline.