Player Invitations
Twelve players have received coveted invitations to attend the 2024 NBA Draft, earning a seat in the prestigious green room. This initial batch of 12 invites, dispatched 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. The invitations solidify their status as some of the most highly regarded prospects entering the draft.
Another 11-12 invitations are anticipated to be sent out in waves starting next week, adding to the excitement and anticipation for the event.
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. The decrease in the number of invitees might bring a more intimate setting, focusing the spotlight even more brightly on the athletes and their close supporters.
Receiving an invitation to the green room is generally seen as a positive indicator of a player's draft stock. However, there have been instances where prospects have waited anxiously only to fall to the second round. Notable examples include Bol Bol, Deyonta Davis, Nic Claxton, Maciej Lampe, and Rashard Lewis, among others.
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. This new format may add some additional scrutiny over the final set of players invited to the green room, as organizers aim to avoid a scenario where an invited player and their family have to endure an overnight wait to hear their name called. Last year, the final batch of invitations was not sent out until two days before the draft, intensifying the suspense for many.
As it stands, all 12 players from the initial batch of invites are projected to be lottery picks, adding a heightened level of anticipation and expectations surrounding these prospects.
Uninvited Projected Lottery Picks
Notably, two projected lottery picks have yet to receive an invitation to the green room: Kentucky's Rob Dillingham and Serbian point guard Nikola Topic. 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 hampered his ability to attend private workouts with NBA teams thus far. Nevertheless, his ankle has now 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, Nikola Topic's draft prospects have become murky after he was found to have a partially torn ACL at the NBA Draft Combine in Treviso, Italy, last week. This discovery is likely to 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 road ahead for Topic may be challenging but not insurmountable, depending on medical evaluations and recovery timelines.
In summation, the 2024 NBA Draft is shaping up to be an event filled with promising talent and compelling storylines. With the new two-day format, the draft will offer both excitement and unpredictability, especially for those hoping to hear their names called in the green room. As the final invitations are sent out and players finalize their preparations, the basketball world waits in anticipation, eager to see which young athletes will become the stars of tomorrow.