The Hawks are blessed with a gift heading into the 2026 NBA Playoffs. Not only do they have a shot at a deep playoff run, but they also have a chance at shooting up to a top-four lottery pick.
Even if the ping-pong balls don't fall Atlanta's way in May, they'll likely have the eighth pick to select a top talent to add to their already loaded roster. In Tankathon's mock draft simulator, which changes frequently, the Hawks select the unicorn-esque Tennessee Volunteer Nate Ament, who led the Vols to an Elite 8 appearance before being bested by the ultimate champs.
Nate Ament's unique profile in the 2026 NBA Draft Class
In a draft class marked with elite guard after elite guard after pick four, Ament stands rather by himself as a lengthy wing with upside.
Before we get into any of the finer details, Ament is very much a project player. His upside is governed largely by how his frame, jumpshot, and on-court reads develop in the coming years. He's no Cam Boozer or Darryn Peterson. Not yet, anyway.
Ament's largest draw is his fluidity at his height. Standing 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, he possesses a handle that very, very few players of his height boast in college basketball, and even in the NBA itself. Ament can also shoot the ball from range at a respectable clip. Hitting 33.3 percent on 3.9 attempts per game is a far cry from being a non-shooter.
In addition to his shooting and playmaking prowess, Ament is a solid defender. His height and length at the small forward position allowed the Volunteers to throw multiple coverages at opposing initiators all season long, and was a vital reason why Tennessee advanced to the Elite 8 on the back of their great defense.
On the flip side, Ament is a shaky rim finisher. Possessing a rim efficiency of 51.4 percent at 6-foot-10 is well below expectations for the youngster, largely due to his strange aversion to dunking the basketball. This lack of verticality also rears its head on the glass, where his offensive rebounding percentage of 6.2 is well below ideal for such a tall wing.
Ament has drawn similarities to large, shooting wings such as Michael Porter Jr. and Cameron Johnson (oddly enough, traded for one another last summer). Sound like anyone else on the Hawks?
Deja vu all over again: Ament and Risacher
Nate Ament seems to profile as a version of Zaccharie Risacher with slightly better playmaking ability and slightly worse shooting ability. While Risacher's off-the-dribble game was a far cry from Ament's collegiate abilities, Ament isn't in the same ballpark as Risacher's pre-NBA shooting (although he has yet to replicate greater than 40 percent type numbers from three since).
A player comped to a current Hawk being gradually phased out of the rotation by Head Coach Quin Snyder, health-related or not, isn't a great place to be. While I believe that Ament and Risacher could both be interesting unicorn pieces for a future Atlanta roster, the reality of the situation may demand something else entirely.
If Atlanta is to make a deep playoff run this year, which seems fairly likely due to their recent hot streak and (relatively) easy path to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, their franchise outlook will change drastically.
Suddenly, they may be serious about fielding offers for Risacher, who has yet to carve out a significant rotation role for the Hawks during their recent run of success. Similarly, that eighth pick may be spent on a player who can contribute more to winning now, like Yaxel Lendeborg, a significant reason behind Michigan's dispatching of Ament and the Vols in their Elite Eight matchup.
I don't hate the fit of Ament on the Hawks, but there seems to be a few hoops the franchise would be forced to jump through should they choose to roster him moving forward. Atlanta will be at a crossroads after these 2026 Playoffs, and it will be very interesting to see which direction they move, beginning with how they spend their top pick.