Player Invitations
Twelve players have received prestigious invitations to attend the 2024 NBA Draft, earning a seat in the celebrated green room. This select group includes 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, making up the first batch of 12 invites dispatched this past Tuesday. 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. However, there have been instances where prospects have fallen 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. There could be added scrutiny over the final set of players invited to the green room, aiming to avoid a situation where an invited player and their families 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. 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.
Sources close to the situation have indicated that the NBA is taking extra precautions this year to avoid the emotional turmoil that can occur when a player and their family are left to wait beyond the first day of the draft. This measured approach highlights a greater sensitivity to players' experiences and the importance of managing expectations during this pivotal moment in their careers.
As we move towards draft day, the focus will not only be on those initial 12 players but also on the strategic decisions of teams and the potential impact of injuries and completed requirements on the final invitations. The green room remains a significant gauge of a player's draft stock, and securing a seat among the elite can be seen as an early victory on the road to an NBA career.
While the atmosphere will certainly be charged with excitement, the underlying uncertainties and last-minute evaluations ensure that the 2024 NBA Draft experience will be memorable for players, families, and fans alike.