NBA Draft: Atlanta Hawks select French star Zaccharie Risacher with No. 1 overall pick

For the second season in a row, a French star has been selected No. 1 overall in the draft.

The Atlanta Hawks selected Zaccharie Risacher with the first pick in the NBA Draft on Wednesday evening. Risacher, a 6-foot-1 winger who played with JL Bourg in the French league last season, was undoubtedly one of the best players in this year’s class and had been a top target for the Hawks in the build-up to the match. provisional version.

This is now only the fourth time in the modern draft era that the top pick has been an international player. The San Antonio Spurs selected Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall pick last summer. The Toronto Raptors drafted Andrea Bargnani first out of Italy in 2006, and the Houston Rockets selected Chinese star Yao Ming No. 1 overall in 2002.

While Risacher doesn’t come close to the buzz that Wembanyama had coming into the draft, he is still a player with tremendous upside that the Hawks can build on in the coming years.

The 19-year-old averaged 11.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game with JL Bourg last season, leading them to the semifinals of the LBN Pro A play-offs. He dropped an impressive 28 points while sinking five three-pointers in a playoff game against Nanterre in what was his best game of the season. Risacher helped Bourg to the semi-finals of the play-offs, but were eliminated by eventual champions Monaco. Risacher also played for France’s U16, U17 and U19 teams, although he will not be with France at the Paris Olympics later this summer.

The Hawks have targeted both Risacher and UConn star Donovan Clingan in recent weeks. Alex Sarr, another French player who spent last season in Australia, effectively refused to train for them. Sarr has long been expected to be No. 1 overall, although Risacher overtook him in most trials in recent days, and it’s easy to see why.

Risacher is a very safe pick in this draft class, both because of his potential and the fact that his game seems well suited to the NBA – especially considering he played more than 50 games in the French League as a teenager last season.

Even if he doesn’t develop into a generational talent like many expect from Wembanyama, Risacher should fit in well alongside Trae Young and Dejounte Murray and could make a huge impact right away in Atlanta.