The Las Vegas Summer League gave Bucks fans plenty to be excited about, headlined by standout guard Brayden Burries. But Milwaukee’s other incoming first-round pick Nate Ament also quietly had a promising showing in summer league. His overall stats from Vegas weren’t noteworthy, but Ament’s improvement over his 5 games should spark optimism in Cream City.
Nate Ament is getting better quicklyÂ
Ament finished summer league with pedestrian averages of 11 points and 5 rebounds per game, but his efficiency was solid. He shot 50% from the field and 39% from three. However, the most noticeable factor was his increasing confidence during his time there.
His best summer league game came in his penultimate outing, when he had 23 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals against the Hornets. In that game, Ament showed off his whole scoring arsenal; he had buckets spotting up, driving downhill and even operating the pick-and-roll. That game alone was enough to raise his value as a prospect, especially considering the development from his first few summer league games.
Ament’s growing comfort and confidence gave the Bucks another bright spot and left them with very few regrets from summer league. He’s obviously still a very young and raw prospect, but the Bucks have good reason now to invest in his development over the next few years. Hopefully Ament can grow to fill the wing-shaped void on the roster today.
Ament’s growth should continue next seasonÂ
Considering that he won’t even turn 20 years old until December, Ament still has a lot of room to improve his game. He has obvious weaknesses to address which can help him become more consistent and effective quickly. The biggest one that stands out is probably his physical strength, which prevents him from fully weaponizing his tantalizing athleticism currently.
However, Ament is bound to grow into his frame as he enters his 20s on an NBA strength training regiment. With a filled-out physique, he would be a scary sight attacking the rim. The Bucks famously benefited from the most infamous physical transformation in NBA history from Giannis Antetokounmpo; we’ll see if Ament can get anywhere close.
On the other hand, Ament can still grow in his skills as well. He’s shown flashes with his shooting, finishing, ball-handling and even playmaking but hasn’t been consistent enough yet in either summer league or college to have a huge impact. With some good developmental work, the Bucks can hone in those skills and help Ament slow the game down with better processing.
Considering his age and how quickly he grew in summer league, don’t be surprised if Nate Ament is a completely different player by the time his rookie season ends. The Bucks are certainly hoping to continue seeing a lot of growth from him.
Add us as a preferred source on Google