NBA Draft: Nate Ament’s Trainer Dismisses Mixed Reviews

Despite questions about Nate Ament’s efficiency, his trainer has observed that his client has remained remarkably consistent in multiple areas.

Chauncey Beckett has marveled at how Ament cares more about elevating his team than himself through both good and bad performances. Since he began training Ament when he was in middle school, Beckett has admired how Ament has become increasingly versatile as a two-way player. Beckett also traveled with Ament to his mother’s native Rwanda and witnessed how he practiced his Christian faith while hosting clinics for the country’s youth.

Beckett believes the “sky is the limit” for Ament after the forward helped the University of Tennessee advance to the Elite Eight during his freshman season.

“They’re getting not only a great basketball player,” Beckett said, “but a great guy who cares about his teammates and cares about winning.”

Beckett spoke extensively to R.org about how Ament has prepared for the NBA draft, the mixed reviews in mock drafts and how he has tried to model his game after Kevin Durant and Tyrese Haliburton. Beckett also shared details about their work together on the court, expectations for Ament’s rookie season and their trip to Rwanda.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one interview has been edited and condensed.

Preparing for the NBA Draft

What have the past few weeks been like for Nate leading into the draft?

Beckett: “For these past couple of weeks, he has been with his agency [LIFT Sports Management]. Everybody has been together. He has been in New York handling that process with workouts — two-a-days and three-a-days. Whatever he has to do, he’s staying connected and getting prepared for all of his team workouts. I believe he’s finished with all of those, but he might have one more.”

Are you able to share which workouts he has completed and which ones are next?

Beckett: “These are the ones he was supposed to do: LA [Clippers], OKC, Mavs, Nets and the Bulls.”

What feedback have you received about how they have gone?

Beckett: “For the most part, I’ve heard that he’s crushed all of them. He’s killed all of them. He’s done really well. Nate is one of those guys where, no matter how much you can try to speak badly about him, once you get in front of him, you’re like, ‘OK, I understand it.’”

What have the two- or three-a-day workouts looked like?

Beckett: “After he wakes up, he does a basketball workout. He’ll either lift right after that or might lift before his second workout. His first workout is more focused on high-energy work. Then the second workout is mainly just shooting. The third workout is a lift.”

What was the thought process behind focusing on those three areas?

Beckett: “Most NBA draft workouts are based on cardio. A lot of the drills involve shooting a lot of shots, being able to make a lot of them and going through testing. Once you work out with these NBA teams, that’s usually how they conduct their workouts. Coming into the season, he was probably one of the most efficient players that I know. But he has had to adapt to chasing guards around screens. You have to get used to that. In high school, he got to guard one through five. But a lot of times, he got to chill when he was guarding the five. So it’s about being able to adjust to that.”

You’ve said that Nate is special because of his versatility and his ability to play one through five on both ends. What notable turning points helped him develop those skills?

Beckett: “Honestly, it was when he got to his private school, Highland [in Warrington, Virginia]. That was one of the big things to focus on. We knew he was athletically and offensively gifted. But we knew that if he wanted to be one of the greats and make it to the NBA, he had to play both ways. That has always been a focus, going back to his junior year when he went to Highland. His coach would make him guard the whole team full court and put him in different situations.

“That was also the situation at Tennessee. Coach [Rick] Barnes really wanted Nate to focus on that. During the recruitment, that was a big thing Barnes hit on. He would say, ‘You’re offensively gifted, but what are you as a defensive player? Can you guard a point guard? Can you guard a center? Can you chase a shooter off a screen?’ That was something Barnes emphasized during recruitment and throughout the season. He was like, ‘I’m going to make your life literally hell. By the time you’re done, you’ll be able to do it all.’”

You had a window into Barnes showing Nate some Kevin Durant clips. What did you take away from that?

Beckett: “Yeah, during his last meeting with Barnes, he showed him some clips of Kevin Durant. He wasn’t like, ‘Hey, you’re Kevin Durant.’ He was showing him and saying, ‘This is what I’m looking for out of you. I want you to come in, and I want you to want to be the best player. I don’t need you to go and jack bad shots. These are some shots you’re going to get. These are the things that we’re going to work on. I think we can utilize this when you have a smaller guy. If you’re on someone taller, you can utilize this.’

“He was showing him Kevin Durant film. Everybody compares him to Durant. But Nate doesn’t compare himself to Kevin Durant. He just wants to be Nate Ament.”

While remaining himself, how have you seen Nate try to incorporate Durant’s game into his own?

Beckett: “He’s found some players that he likes. He likes Tyrese Haliburton because of his ability to play as a point guard and combo guard. He’s a really good passer and a taller guard who can dribble and come off ball screens. That was one of the players Nate was also drawn to.

“Then he likes Kevin Durant and how he has played throughout his career. When you watch Kevin Durant, he was like Nate was in high school with his ballhandling and ability to put the ball on the floor.

“Going into college, Nate and Kevin Durant had a conversation about playing for Barnes. Kevin Durant said, ‘I learned how to limit my shots. I learned how to be more efficient. It was really tough. He challenged me defensively.’ So when we looked at Kevin Durant as he got older, he could still get off any shot he wanted while using his dribble. But it’s more efficient to take one or two dribbles and shoot off the catch. That was what Nate was trying to implement.”

Responding to Mixed Draft Evaluations

When you sent tapes to major college coaches, what did you say to the coaches who were interested and those who were skeptical?

Beckett: “I sent his highlights to every high-major program before he even blew up. I was like, ‘I’m just letting you know. This is going to be one of those things.’ It was just about getting his name out there. I didn’t need the recognition of any coach.

“There were little things. He went to the Rising Freshmen CP3 camp. Nate, AJ [Dybantsa] and a bunch of top-25 kids went. Nate wasn’t ranked at the time. But somebody got him into the camp and the top-25 visit, where you visit four schools. Nate visited Wake Forest, NC State, North Carolina and Duke. I joked around with one of the Duke coaches that he would offer Nate [a scholarship] within a year. I said, ‘We’re going to be back here.’ Then, a year from that date, Duke offered him going into his sophomore year.

“That was validation for his play. But we didn’t really need the coaches’ validation. I knew what I saw. The coaches’ feedback was good, though. They all said, ‘He moves well.’ Nate takes pride in doing the little things he heard from other people. As he was rising, people were asking, ‘Is he tough enough? Can he do this?’ We just challenged him and said, ‘This is what people think of you. This is what you have to improve if you want to play and be one of the best. You look small, but I know you’re not soft. So you have to show people that you’re tougher.’

“It was little things like that. Anything we heard from a coach, we would go and attack it. It was never, ‘These guys don’t think that I’m good enough.’ It was, ‘We’re going to keep working, and we’re going to get better.’ We just started throwing him into the fire. We didn’t hide from anyone.”

Mock drafts have quoted scouts offering mixed evaluations of Nate, praising his ballhandling and scoring while expressing concerns about his efficiency, foot speed and consistency. Which criticisms do you think are fair, and which are overblown?

Beckett: “I’m not a big analytics guy. I’m learning the analytics. But when you look at the efficiency, you have to take into account the team’s playing style, being new to the game and having a new body. That all plays a role. We’re not an excuse-type family. We look at it as, ‘If you know basketball, you understand the differences between his playing style in high school and college.’ It was an adjustment. He was able to bring the ball up the court and handle it whenever he wanted to, and now he’s learning how to get to his spots with one or two dribbles.

“Their offense wasn’t technically free-flowing. There were two bigs in the paint. Then he had to figure out how to get to different spots on the court. The rim wasn’t always there. It was also about adjusting to the physicality of the game. I think he did a good job of doing that.

“So I don’t really pay attention. When people say certain things about him, it’s just like, ‘All right. That’s clickbait.’ Nate averaged 17 [points] and seven [rebounds]. In any other draft class, he’s a guaranteed top-five pick. He averaged more than 28 [points] and nine [rebounds] over 11 games in the SEC. You don’t really worry about the other stuff. It sucks that other people may feel that way about him. But he’s such a nice kid, so it’s easy to hate on him. He’s new to the party. Darryn [Peterson] and AJ have been No. 1 in their class since they were in seventh grade.

“Nate wins. That’s the big thing that I love about Nate. I know people want him to be this or that. But he’s not the guy who will force things. He knows how to shoot himself out of a bad game. But if the team is winning, he’s not going to do that. He’s always going to do what the team needs. He knows how to take over a game. He showed that this year. But if his teammate is hot, he’s going to let his teammate stay hot. He’s not selfish. He’s one of the most selfless people I know.”

What examples stand out from what you’ve seen in workouts and games?

Beckett: “He showed it a lot this year. Take the Houston game, for example. He got into foul trouble, couldn’t get into a rhythm and shot 1-for-8. But he crashed the boards and played defense while letting his team do everything else. They won. There are examples like that. Then there are examples from high school, when he had 41 [points] and seven rebounds after playing for Team USA [at the 2024 FIBA Under-18 AmeriCup].

“Of everybody in this draft, there are only a few who have improved every year. He has gotten better ever since he stepped onto the scene. He hasn’t gotten any worse. He just started playing high-level basketball not too long ago. He’s gotten better every year. No matter what it is, he improves at something every year. That’s hard to do. I started working with him when he was 14 or 15 years old. There has been growth in his game every year.”

Understanding the fluidity of the draft, including which team selects him and the role he receives, what is your outlook on Nate’s ability to translate his two-way versatility to the NBA?

Beckett: “The sky is the limit for him. That open space is going to create a lot, especially in the NBA. You have shooters. You can’t leave shooters. There is no sitting in the paint on offense or defense. So the sky is the limit. We actually talked about this recently and how excited he is about the spacing opportunity. Any team he goes to is getting not only a great basketball player, but a great guy who cares about his teammates and cares about winning. He is all for that.”

Even though you’re encouraged by Nate’s growth, what are you trying to get him to add to his game?

Beckett: “Honestly, I’ve always challenged him to shoot more 3s and take more catch-and-shoot attempts. He likes playing off the dribble. He gets into a rhythm playing off the dribble. But I think that’s a big thing. I think you’ll see that in the NBA — him shooting more catch-and-shoot 3s.

“I’ve challenged him, no matter where he goes, to remain who he is and always work. The work will always pay off. Just because you made it, you can’t get comfortable. I don’t think he will. But it’s about making sure his game is still evolving and attacking something every summer.

“It’s about figuring out what you like and what you don’t like, then taking it and running with it. In his rookie season, he’s going to surprise a lot of people. But I also think he’s going to have times when it’s challenging. Cooper Flagg went through it. Everybody goes through it. He’s going to have some struggles.”

What is Nate doing to improve his catch-and-shoot game?

Beckett: “When we work out, it’s not about making 10 shots or something like that. It’s, ‘You have to make 22 out of 25 or 10 out of 12.’ That’s one of the reasons I think his consistency will continue to improve. It’s not just about making a certain number of shots. No, we have to go after something.

“One thing I know is that when you shoot 90% in practice, that percentage is going to go down once you add defenders. So we try to shoot the highest percentage we can during workouts. When the game comes, he is prepared for fatigue and everything else.”

Given that he is going to experience some struggles, as rookies often do, what are you doing to help Nate overcome the usual adjustments involving more games, fewer practices and increased physicality?

Beckett: “For him, it’s about staying consistent with the work. His workload is not as heavy as it was in college, so he can get a couple of personal workouts in. He has to make sure he’s watching as much game film as possible. Keep working on that development and trust yourself. There are going to be good games, and there are going to be bad games. But as long as you continue to trust yourself, you can never let that doubt creep in. Keep the circle close, listen to what you need to listen to and just focus on what we can control.”

Given his work ethic and confidence, what do you think those qualities will do for his game?

Beckett: “He has a chance to be anything he wants to be with the basketball. He just locks in. He’s very tough on himself. So this year, he really challenged himself to let things go. That was a big thing for Barnes as well. There are good games and bad games, but he wants to be the best. So how can he want to be the best while still handling those difficult days?”

Faith, Community and Rwanda

How did you see Nate find the balance between handling the lows and maintaining his competitive edge?

Beckett: “A big thing for him is his faith. He leans on the Bible. He’s very religious. But this year, he also leaned on his teammates, his coaches and the people around him. They have all been through the same types of struggles. Some might not be on the national stage like he is, where even if he’s averaging 28 and nine, some people think he’s a bad basketball player. But they understand.

“Everybody came from a situation where they were ‘Mr. Basketball.’ So a big thing this year was remaining consistent with his Bible and leaning on his teammates who were upperclassmen. He’s asking, ‘How do you handle this? How did you do this?’ They’re all together. He shut out the world and leaned on his community.

“It’s important to know how good of a person he is. At 17 years old, he could’ve done anything after making money. But he went back to his mom’s country [Rwanda] to give back. Not a lot of people are doing that. He’s out there, and we’re playing pickup. A lot of kids don’t move like that. They’re worried about getting hurt. But we’re literally in Rwanda playing pickup. He played a kid one-on-one. He’s a special kind of person. You can see it.

“When you’re around him, you see that all of our kids love him. Even in high school, kids lined up for autographs an hour after the game. Not one kid left without a picture or signed autograph.”

Can you paint a picture of what you observed about Nate during the trip to Rwanda?

Beckett: “It’s a beautiful country. His mom hadn’t seen her sister and brother in a couple of years because of COVID-19. I think that was the last time they saw each other. He wanted to bring them all together and help their country.

“We ran a camp in a small village where his aunt runs a school. We’re in a village in Rwanda, and he’s playing one-on-one with a kid at the end of the camp. Everybody is watching. It was so surreal.

“We went hiking with gorillas. I don’t know how they got me out there with gorillas. I never thought in my life that I would be 10 feet, if not closer, from a gorilla.”

Wow. What was that experience like?

Beckett: “Now that I’m alive and here, it was beautiful (laughs). But the process of getting there was very interesting. His grandma hiked up one of the hills. She’s way older than me. If she can hike this mountain and isn’t afraid, I have to do it.

“Once we got there, it was beautiful. Once we got to the top of the mountain, there was a family of gorillas. They were living their lives, and we were right next to them. They weren’t bothered by us.

“Before we went, when everyone knew I was going to see gorillas, people were sending me videos of gorillas jumping out of trees and warning, ‘This is going to be you!’ That wasn’t helping. There are videos of everything, and I don’t know whether they’re AI-generated or not.

“There are videos of bad gorilla trekking experiences, gorillas jumping out of trees or gorillas grabbing somebody. Then my wife showed me a video. I thought, ‘You’re supposed to be on my side!’

“But it’s very beautiful. The country is very beautiful and very clean. Knowing that his mom lived through the genocide, being able to go back and experience that was unbelievable. I pray I’m able to go back.

“Nate wants to help Rwanda. At 17 or 18 years old, to want to do that and embrace a country — he’s helping build a culture.”