Duke basketball: 2 players not invited to NBA Draft

Two Duke basketball players were not invited to the NBA Draft. 

The dreams of five former Duke basketball players are set to come true on June 23 but only three of the Blue Devils were invited to see their dreams come true in person.

Paolo Banchero, AJ Griffin, and Mark Williams all were invited, and accepted, invitations to attend the draft in Brooklyn, New York and sit in the green room while the selections are being made.

Banchero and Griffin were in the first batch of ten invitations that were sent out by the league while Williams received his invitations in the second grouping and all three players will be in attendance at the Barclays Center.

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However, Wendell Moore and Trevor Keels did not get invitations to sit in the green room for the draft.

Unlike the trio of Banchero, Griffin, and Williams, Moore and Keels are projected as fringe first round draft picks and the league tends to send invitations to those who are likely to be sure lottery picks to avoid any potential awkwardness waiting in the green room for the players, most often seen during the NFL Draft.

Despite not receiving an invitation to sit in the green room, Wendell Moore and Trevor Keels can still attend the NBA Draft and sit in the crowd with their families, something many prospects have done throughout the recent history of the draft.

Most recent draft projections for Duke basketball players

In the most recent mock draft published by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Paolo Banchero is projected to be the No. 3 overall pick to the Houston Rockets, behind Auburn’s Jabari Smith and Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren.

AJ Griffin is slotted at No. 11 overall to his hometown New York Knicks while Mark Williams lands in the spot many expect him to be taken at No. 15 overall to the Charlotte Hornets.

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It’s a longer wait for both Trevor Keels and Wendell Moore, according to Givony, but the Blue Devils are taken back-to-back in the projected draft.

The Orlando Magic are predicted to select Trevor Keels at No. 35 overall and the Portland Trail Blazers grab Wendell Moore at No. 36 overall.

There is only one week to go before the dreams of these players become reality of playing in the NBA.