With the 2017 NBA Draft two weeks away, names of the players who are invited to sit at the draft have started to come out. According to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express, ten players have already been invited, and ten more invites will be sent out through the end of the week.
The ten reported names invited to the 2017 NBA Draft are: Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson, De’Aaron Fox, Jayson Tatum, Jonathan Isaac, Lauri Markkanen, Malik Monk, Dennis Smith Jr., and John Collins. Givony says Frank Nkiltina, Donovan Mitchell, Luke Kennard, Justin Jackson, OG Anunoby, and Zach Collins are also expected to be invited.
With the six guys expected to be invited, that leaves four more invitations to be sent out. With likely lottery picks being invited, it gets tougher after the top 15 or so players. There are no secrets the Boston Celtics are heavily leaning towards drafting Markelle Fultz, and that there is a mutual interest between the Los Angeles Lakers and Lonzo Ball, so it’s easy to invite those players. Once the draft gets a little further in, it gets harder and harder to predict, making it tough for the NBA to decide who to invite.
Some names who wouldn’t be surprised to get invites include Justin Jackson, Jarrett Allen, Harry Giles, Justin Patton, Terrance Ferguson, and Ike Anigbogu. The league wants to be careful with who they invite, just in case someone slips in the draft.
The 2017 NBA Draft will be held on Thursday, June 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the Barclay Arena in Brooklyn, New York.
