The so-called “green room” at the NBA Draft is typically reserved for the players who are sure-fire locks to be lottery selections. They are granted access to a special area, where friends and family can be ready to give the obligatory hugs and high-fives once their name is called.
This year, whether due to the venue being larger at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn or because of the lack of certainty as to how the top half of the draft will unfold, it seems like many more players are getting the call to be in attendance Thursday night.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com has what appears to be the bulk of the list.Confirmed NBA Green Room invites: Wiggins, Parker, Embiid, Exum, Vonleh, Gordon, Randle, Smart, McDermott, Saric, Harris, Payton ...
— Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider) June 20, 2014
More confirmed NBA Green Room invites: Stauskas, Young, LaVine, Nurkic, Payne, Warren, Ennis, Hood, Napier. 21 total.
— Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider) June 20, 2014
If you’re looking for a sleeper of sorts, Shabazz Napier is the one name that stands out, given that he’s expected to be a late first-rounder in most of the mocks that have been published.
But honestly, there are no true surprises here because if we’re going 21 deep, that’ll cover most everyone expected to be selected in the lottery and even several picks beyond.
Embiid, of course, won’t be attending the draft after undergoing foot surgery earlier this week.
