Player Invitations
Twelve players have received the coveted invitations to attend the 2024 NBA Draft, earning a seat in the prestigious green room. These players are 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. This first batch of 12 invites was dispatched this Tuesday.
Another 11-12 invitations are anticipated to be sent out in waves starting next week, offering more prospects the chance to experience this momentous event in person.
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 eagerly 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. These occurrences highlight that an invitation, while prestigious, does not guarantee a first-round selection.
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 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 names 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. This distinction underscores their potential impact on the future of the NBA, with teams eyeing them as foundational talents capable of transformative contributions.
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. 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 subsequent recovery plans.
In summary, the initial set of green room invitations underscores who the NBA views as top prospects for the 2024 draft. While securing an invitation is a significant honor, it is just one part of the draft journey. As more invitations are dispatched in the coming weeks, the full picture of this year's draft class will come into sharper focus. Teams and fans alike will be watching closely to see which athletes step into the limelight and how these young talents shape the future of the NBA.