With just 15 days until the 2024 NBA Draft, two former Kentucky Wildcats players at the top of draft boards are garnering attention ahead of the draft.
First, some good news that will be familiar to Kentucky basketball fans, as you’ve likely heard it many times before: “______ will represent Kentucky in the green room at the NBA Draft.” Reed Shepherd According to ESPN's Jonathan Givony, he received an invitation to the Green Room.
Twelve players have been invited to the Green Room, with 12 more set to be invited closer to the event. Last year, the final invitations were not sent out until two days before the NBA Draft. If Shepard accepts his invitation, Givony reports, the former Kentucky Wildcat will join Zachary Lisacher, Alex Sarr, Donovan Clingan, Matas Buzelis, Stephon Castle, Dalton Knecht, Tijan Salone, Ron Holland, Cody Williams, Devin Carter and Jacob Walter.
You may have noticed one big omission from this list. Rob DillinghamThe agile point guard is projected to be a lottery pick as the No. 7 overall pick in the NBA Draft by ESPN, so why wouldn't he get an invite to the Green Room?
Dillingham faces one final technicality: He's not yet eligible for the NBA draft, which means he won't be eligible until he completes pre-draft workouts with the Lakers this Friday after dealing with an ankle injury over the summer.
“Dillingham has not yet met all of the requirements for draft eligibility under the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement,” Givony wrote. “Due to his ankle injury, Dillingham was unable to take part in athletic testing or shooting drills at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago in mid-May, and has thus far been unable to participate in private workouts with NBA teams.”
I'm not a draft guy, but I don't think many people know that Dillingham has been plagued by injuries leading up to the NBA Draft that may have hurt his value. At the very least, that should be resolved by showtime in Brooklyn.
This year's event will kick off at Barclays Center on Wednesday, June 26. For the first time, it will be a two-day event, with the second round broadcast the following day at 4pm ET from ESPN studios in Manhattan.
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