​  Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes shared a message with fans of the Milwaukee Bucks after they acquired the rights to select Nate Ament with No. 13 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.”They’ve got the steal of the draft,” Barnes said in a video message posted June 24 on X. “As time plays out everything that you and I talked about that you want to do at that level is going to happen.”Barnes has always held Ament in high regard.He showed the former five-star prospect film of Kevin Durant during his final recruiting visit with the Vols as a resource to remind Ament of his potential.1 / 52Tennessee forward Nate Ament (10) and his teammates celebrate in front of the Tennessee fan section after Tennessee defeated Iowa State in a NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game at the United Center in Chicago on March 27, 2026.(Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel, Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)Ament averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in his only season with the Vols and although he struggled with shooting efficiency, the 6-foot-10 forward often had moments of brilliance as a mid-range shooter who could rise up over any defender.Ament is the 11th player drafted into the NBA under Barnes during his tenure at Tennessee. He’s the first lottery pick of the Barnes’ era and fifth first-rounder, joining Dalton Knecht (2024), Keon Johnson (2021), Jaden Springer (2021) and Grant Williams (2019).Tennessee’s last lottery pick was Marcus Haislip, who also went 13th overall to the Bucks in the 2002 NBA Draft.This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Rick Barnes shares message about Tennessee’s Nate Ament to Milwaukee Bucks fans      ​Read More