Player Invitations
In an eagerly anticipated announcement, twelve players have received coveted invitations to attend the 2024 NBA Draft, earning a seat in the prestigious green room.
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 constitute the first batch of 12 invites sent out this Tuesday. Another 11-12 invitations are anticipated to be dispatched in waves starting next week.
Green Room Details
The green room serves as the 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. However, 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, 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 two-day format introduces added 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. All 12 players from the initial batch of invites are projected to be lottery picks.
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 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 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.
Topic 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 this year's draft is palpable. As always, the green room invitations are not just a ceremonial gesture but a strategic one. Sitting in the green room is both an honor and a clear signal of a player's standing in the draft hierarchy. As the countdown to the draft continues, all eyes will be on the remaining invitations and whether players like Dillingham and Topic can solve their eligibility issues in time.
One thing is certain: the 2024 NBA Draft promises to be one of the most exciting in recent memory, with a batch of young talents ready to make their mark in the professional arena. Whether their names are called on the first night or the second, these future stars will undoubtedly shape the league for years to come.