The general consensus surrounding Nate Ament after his freshman year of college was that he was a raw prospect who would need time to develop in the league. The Milwaukee Bucks were well aware of it and drafted him 13th overall regardless. After his first Summer League game, it's not surprising that Ament does indeed look like a prospect who has plenty of room to grow.
Ament's debut highlights raw profile
To be clear, no one expected Ament to put up a 40-point double-double or anything even close to it. A 19-year-old playing in his first Summer League contest should be shaky. In his 17 minutes, Ament totaled six points, three rebounds, and two assists while shooting 3-of-7 from the floor. Wanting to seemingly ease him into things, the Bucks kept his minutes low and let him play in spurts.
On a positive note, Ament did look active on offense, receiving a few passes inside that led to makes right at the hoop. Given a bit of space, he also buried a mid-range jumper. Perhaps the most notable takeaway was that Ament looked confident. Even if the shots weren't falling, he kept firing away like he hadn't missed one all day. For a 19-year-old, that's a great sign.
As for the negatives, Ament's jumper, which was a college concern, carried over into this matchup. Yes, he sank a mid-range, but he missed all three of his 3-point attempts. The physicality was also noteworthy. Tall and thin, Ament struggled in college when matched up with bigger, stronger players, and there were glimpses of that in this outing, mostly when driving to the hoop.
What comes next for Nate Ament
There should be no conclusions drawn from this outing. It was Ament's first game. There have been draft busts who have looked dominant in their first games. There have been superstars who looked lost. It happens. These games are all about young players getting their feet wet and working on their games. That's exactly what Nate Ament is currently doing.
Over these next several games, all Ament can do is continue to grow. Get those 3-pointers up. Attack the hoop with authority. Show off those passing skills. This is the time to leave it all out there. If a role with the Milwaukee Bucks is something he wants sooner rather than later, growth is required. He has already started off on the right foot by getting his debut out of the way.
The Ament pick will always carry extra weight because he was part of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade package, but all the forward can do is embrace it. It could take time to unearth, but the Bucks could have a really good player here.
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