2024 NBA Mock Draft: Zaccharie Risacher Remains The No.1 Pick in Bleacher Report's Updated Mock Draft

Who are the Hawks going to select with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft?

Potential No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher /

There are now 13 days until the NBA Draft and the time is drawing near for the Atlanta Hawks to make a decision with the No. 1 pick. The Hawks have been in the decision-making since winning the NBA Draft Lottery, but it is almost time to make a decision.

What exactly the Hawks do is up for debate though. It seems as if the Hawks will be deciding between Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher, and Donovan Clingan, but the opinions on who they take are split.

One opinion that has not changed over the past few weeks is Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman, who still has the Hawks selecting Risacher as the No. 1 pick in his latest mock draft.

Team: JL Bourg-en-Bresse

Position: SG/SF

Size: 6'8", 204 lbs

Age/Year: 19

Nationality: French

Pro Comparison: Harrison Barnes

"Rival teams continue to guess who the Atlanta Hawks prefer at No. 1. And we continue to give the edge to Zaccharie Risacher, a perceived safe pick with a valued archetype and pathways to improve and bust through the three-and-D level that he brings to JL Bourg.

While scouts continue to debate the height of Risacher's ceiling, there is a perceived level of certainty tied to his positional size, shooting and defensive tools/quickness. That could sway the Hawks to lean his way without a sure-thing star at the top. Injury problems with Saddiq Bey and AJ Griffin could also help the case for Risacher to Atlanta."

In a recent mock draft from CBS Sports Adam Finkelstein, he has the Hawks selecting Sarr with the No. 1 pick, but he also dropped an interesting note about the Hawks and Clingan in his notes:

"I've gone back and forth on whether Atlanta will select Sarr or Risacher in recent weeks, which I believe is an appropriate reflection of some of the indecision happening in Atlanta. Sources also say Clingan not only worked out, but made an impression while doing so, fueling rumors of a potential trade down where they could target the big man and add another draft asset."

There has seemingly been a lot more chatter about the Hawks taking either RIsacher or Clingan than there has been about them taking Sarr. That does not mean that he is not in play, but the other two prospects are getting much more steam at this point in the process.

If the Hawks wanted to trade back and take Clingan, how far back would they go and what would they get in return? There have been some mock trades with the San Antonio Spurs where they send No. 4 and No. 8 to the Hawks or they send No. 4 and one of the Hawks picks from the Dejounte Murray trade back to Atlanta, but there is no guarantee that Clingan makes it to No. 4 (or that the Spurs would do that deal to be honest with you). Clingan is a candidate to go to go to the Wizards with the No. 2 pick and there have been rumors of teams (Memphis?) trying to trade up to No. 3 to take Clingan. It is not entirely out of the question that the Rockets could stay there and take him if they view him as the clear best player available. Could the Hawks move back to No. 2? Maybe, but there have been no reports suggesting that the Wizards want to move up.

Clingan is regarded as the best college player in this draft and some view him as the safest player in the draft because of his perceived ability to be a high-level defender right away and for the potential to grow his game on the offensive end. He has drawn comparisons to four-time defensive player of the year Rudy Gobert, who played for current Hawks head coach Quin Snyder when they were in Utah. I think a Gobert comparison is lofty, but it is not hard to see where people get that idea from.

We will know what happens in 13 days. Until then, let the guessing games continue.