Player Invitations
Twelve players have received coveted invitations to attend the 2024 NBA Draft, earning a seat in the prestigious green room.
The initial batch of 12 invites, sent out this Tuesday, includes promising talents such as Zacharie Risacher, Alex Sarr, Donovan Clingan, Reed Sheppard, Matas Buzelis, Stephon Castle, Dalton Knecht, Tidjane Salaun, Ron Holland, Cody Williams, Devin Carter, and Ja'Kobe Walter. Given the caliber of these athletes, they are all projected to be lottery picks. Another 11-12 invitations are anticipated to be sent out in waves starting next week.
Green Room Details
The green room serves as a staging area situated in front of the NBA Draft podium. Here, players, their families, and agents await the moment when Commissioner Adam Silver announces their selection. This year, each player will be allowed to invite six people to sit at their individual tables, a reduction from the 10 allowed last year. Receiving an invitation to the green room is generally seen as a positive indicator of a player's draft stock.
While being invited to the green room is generally a promising sign, it does not guarantee that a player will be chosen in the first round. There have been instances where prospects fell to the second round while sitting in the green room. Notable examples include Bol Bol, Deyonta Davis, Nic Claxton, Maciej Lampe, and Rashard Lewis.
Draft Details
For the first time, the NBA Draft will span two days. The first round will take place on June 26 at Brooklyn's Barclays Center, while the second round will be held on June 27 in lower Manhattan. The extended draft might increase scrutiny over the final set of players invited to the green room, aiming to avoid a situation where an invited player and their family have to wait an extra day to hear their name called. Last year, the final batch of invitations was not sent out until two days before the draft.
Uninvited Projected Lottery Picks
Two projected lottery picks who have yet to receive an invitation to the green room are Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham and Serbian point guard Nikola Topić.
Dillingham has not completed all the necessary requirements to be eligible for selection in the draft, as stipulated by the NBA's collective bargaining agreement. An ankle injury prevented Dillingham from participating in athletic testing and shooting drills at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago in mid-May. This injury has also hindered him from attending private workouts with NBA teams thus far. However, his ankle has recovered, and he plans on completing those requirements at the Lakers' practice facility on Friday, according to his agent, Lucas Newton of Klutch Sports.
Meanwhile, Topić was found to have a partially torn ACL at the NBA Draft Combine in Treviso, Italy, last week. This discovery will likely create uncertainty around his draft stock until team doctors can fully evaluate the injury and decide on the best course of action regarding surgery and a subsequent recovery plan.
The anticipation surrounding the NBA Draft invites remains high, and the list will continue to crystallize over the coming weeks. One thing is for sure: the journey to the NBA for these young talents is just beginning, filled with its own set of challenges and triumphs.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the excitement and suspense surrounding the green room invitations add another layer of intrigue to the NBA Draft process. These invitations serve as both a marker of achieved excellence and a harbinger of future potential. Whether waiting for their name to be called on June 26 in Brooklyn, or perhaps enduring an additional day's wait in lower Manhattan, these young athletes, along with their anxious families and agents, are poised to take the next monumental step in their burgeoning careers.