Player Invitations
A select group of twelve players has received coveted invitations to attend the 2024 NBA Draft, granting them a seat in the prestigious green room. The initial batch of invites, sent out this past Tuesday, includes the names of Zaccharie 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. These invitations are a significant milestone for each player, reflecting their anticipated high draft stock.
Additional Invitations
The NBA is expected to dispatch another 11-12 invitations in waves starting next week. The anticipation surrounding these invitations highlights the importance and exclusivity of the green room experience, where family, friends, and agents await the momentous announcement of their player's selection.
Green Room Details
The green room, located in front of the NBA Draft podium, is an exclusive staging area where invited players and their close circles wait as NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announces each draft pick. This year, each player will be permitted to invite six people to join them at their table, a change from the ten seats allowed last year. Securing an invitation to the green room is widely viewed as a positive indicator of a player's draft status. Nonetheless, history has seen some promising prospects fall to the second round while they were seated in the green room. Notable examples of such instances include Bol Bol, Deyonta Davis, Nic Claxton, Maciej Lampe, and Rashard Lewis.
Draft Day Adjustments
For the first time, the NBA Draft will stretch over two days. The first round is scheduled to occur on June 26 at Brooklyn's Barclays Center, while the second round is set for June 27 in lower Manhattan. This new format may result in heightened attention regarding the final set of green room invites, to avoid a scenario where an invited player and their family have to wait an additional day to hear their name called. Last year, the final batch of invitations wasn't sent out until just two days before the draft.
All twelve players from the initial round of invitations are projected to be lottery picks, emphasizing the high expectations surrounding them.
Uninvited Projected Lottery Picks
Two projected lottery picks who have not yet received a green room invitation are Kentucky's Rob Dillingham and Serbian point guard Nikola Topic. Dillingham has not fulfilled all the requirements to be eligible for selection in the draft, as specified by the NBA's collective bargaining agreement. An ankle injury hindered Dillingham from participating in athletic testing and shooting drills at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago in mid-May, and it has also prevented him from attending private workouts with NBA teams. However, his agent Lucas Newton of Klutch Sports confirmed that Dillingham's ankle has recovered and that he intends to complete the necessary requirements at the Lakers' practice facility this Friday.
Meanwhile, Nikola Topic's draft prospects have become uncertain following the discovery of a partially torn ACL at the NBA Draft Combine in Treviso, Italy, last week. This significant injury will likely introduce a degree of uncertainty regarding his draft stock until team doctors can thoroughly evaluate the situation and determine the best course of action for surgery and subsequent recovery.
Conclusion
Securing an invitation to the green room is a coveted recognition that brings with it a mixture of excitement and pressure. For the twelve players who have already received their invitations, the journey to the NBA is rapidly approaching a pivotal moment. For potential lottery picks like Rob Dillingham and Nikola Topic, overcoming recent setbacks will be crucial as they strive to secure their spots in the draft. As the NBA Draft draws nearer, the eyes of scouts, analysts, and fans around the world will be fixed on the unfolding drama and the emerging talents of these young basketball players.