BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The Atlanta Hawks have their guy after staying put and making the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft. For the second straight year, a Frenchman has gone first overall.
The Hawks selected French forward Zaccharie Risacher with the top selection in Wednesday night's draft. Risacher turned pro in 2021 with LNB Pro A in France, where the wing averaged 7.4 points per game over three seasons. In his last year, however, he averaged 11.6 points per game.
The Hawks will have the chance to select another player Thursday in the second round of the draft, which begins at 4 p.m.
Here's a look a the team's top pick.
What to know about Zaccharie Risacher
Pros: Risacher is one of the tallest and longest wings in the entire draft. He is 6-foot-8, weighs 195 pounds, and has a wingspan of 6 feet and 9.5 inches. At just 19 years old, Risacher is still extremely raw and has a lot of time to grow into his body and continue improving his skills that scouts love.
He showed glimpses of becoming a knockdown shooter from beyond the arc through the first 34 games this season, shooting 48.2% from deep, according to The Ringer. Throughout his three-year pro career in France so far, Risacher has averaged 11.1 points per game, 4 rebounds, 0.9 assists and has shot 38.7% from 3-point land.
He's also gotten high praise as a defender, which is in part due to his height and long wingspan guarding other players who are smaller than him on the wing and his ability to move just as quickly laterally against some of those quicker wings. "He's also an aware help defender with a knack for altering shots," The Ringer describes about Risacher's defense.
Cons: Although Risacher has proven he can get hot and score as a streaky shooter, his overall numbers lack that of a No. 1 overall pick. Despite a nearly 50% 3-point shooting percentage to begin the year, his numbers fell off the table to just 29.8% from deep for the remainder of the season this past year. That was close to the 32% from 3-point land he shot at in his three international seasons in France's professional league. Risacher also struggles from the free throw line, shooting just a mediocre 70%.
Experts believe, however, that Zaccharie Risacher is the best player in the NBA Draft.
Atlanta Hawks gain 44th pick in 2024 NBA Draft
The Hawks will have a chance to select another NBA hopeful on Thursday afternoon. 11Alive confirmed forward AJ Griffin is being traded to the Houston Rockets. The exchange allows the Hawks to gain the 44th pick.
Griffin has been in the league two years. He was a first round draft pick in 2022 at No. 16.
