BREAKING: Atlanta Hawks Select French Forward Zaccharie Risacher With The No. 1 Overall Pick In the 2024 NBA Draft

Zaccharie Risacher is officially the newest member of the Atlanta Hawks

Zaccharie Risacher was selected with the No. 1 pick in tonight's draft / CBS Sports

The Atlanta Hawks have officially made a selection with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and French forward Zaccharie Risacher is now an Atlanta Hawk. After winning the Draft Lottery last month, it has been a long process for the Hawks to find the guy that they wanted with the No. 1 pick and Risacher's name was at the forefront for much of the draft process.

HE'S NUMBER 1️⃣

Welcome to Atlanta, @Zacch_10! pic.twitter.com/1Ro2XPAr6l

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) June 27, 2024

Over the past couple of days and coming into today, Risacher remained in the mix and gained serious momemtnum to be the No. 1 pick this week, though there was still talk of Atanta taking either UConn center Donovan Clingan, Alex Sarr, or potentially trading the pick. In ESPN's final mock draft today, Jonathan Givony (who has been a big fan of Risacher for a while) said that all signs were pointing to the Hawks picking Risacher:

"With hours left until Round 1 of tonight's draft, all signs point to Risacher in Atlanta, with rival teams selecting behind the Hawks saying their intel indicates he'll be the choice. The Hawks continue to signal that they have not yet determined their draft-night direction, but other teams are preparing as if Risacher will come off the board at No. 1.

The Hawks have big decisions to make with players already on their roster, especially Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, who seem destined to part ways with the team in the not-too-distant future. The New Orleans Pelicans loom as a potential destination for one of them, with Brandon Ingram the most attractive and attainable target on the Pelicans' roster. Jalen Johnson appears to be the only player the Hawks will not consider moving.

Risacher, as he has for much of the pre-draft cycle, continues to hold firm as the choice at No. 1 after a positive workout with Atlanta. The feedback from those who have seen him in the United States is that he is a better passer and does a better job of initiating contact and playing through physicality than is expected with his lean frame.

Earlier today on the Pat McAfee Show, ESPN's Brian Windhorst said something similar:

"As of last night, I don't think the Atlanta Hawks knew who they were going to take. I think that they are leaning towards Zaccharie Risacher, who is a safe pick at No.1. He is 6'9, he can handle the ball a little bit, I actually think he is a really good passer, I got to see him play in person, but he almost did not average any assists in the French League this year so maybe I am wrong. He is not a guy that is going to come in and change the direction of a franchise, but he can come in and be a good third or fourth starter on a really good team someday and in this draft, that is pretty good."

Risacher is a 6'8, 204 LBS wing player who fills a big need for Atlanta. He has two-way versatility and has performed well since the lottery. He is a plug-and-play type of forward that would fit on the Hawks as either their starting 2 or 3. One player comp that Risacher got earlier in the draft cycle from ESPN's Jeremy Woo was Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Khris Middleton:

High end: Khris Middleton with more defense

Low end: Trey Murphy III

"Risacher brings a lot to the court as an athletic, 3-and-D wing with room to expand his game on both ends. While not likely to become a No. 1 option on offense, as he gets more comfortable playing off multiple dribbles and develops as a shooter, it's easy to see him becoming a viable wing scorer a la Middleton, who has had an outstanding run in Milwaukee, including a title in 2021.

Risacher should also offer more defensively, where he has plus-lateral agility and should be switchable. There's a high level of two-way upside here if one can get past the limited shot-creation ability. Floor-wise, provided Risacher continues to improve as a shooter, you can envision him functioning like Murphy currently does for New Orleans: bringing excellent size and athleticism coupled with quality floor-spacing and defense, but without creating a ton of offense for himself or taking many dribbles."

If Risacher turns out to be a Khris Middleton with better defense, Atlanta has likely taken an All-NBA level player who would be the perfect complement to Trae Young. If that is the true ceiling for Risacher, then the Hawks have likely made the right selection

That hypothetical floor for Risacher is interesting too. Trey Murphy III has developed into a really good player for the New Orleans Pelicans and he is a very good defender and a sniper from three. The debate would be if he turns out to be just like Murphy, is he worth the No. 1 overall pick? I would argue no. Murphy is a really good player but is likely only the third or fourth-best player on a championship team. That is not a bad thing, but ceiling has to be taken into consideration when making a selection with the No. 1 pick.

It has been said by a number of draft analysts, that Risacher is a prospect that is has a limited ceiling, but a high floor and he also plays a position of need. He has two-way versatility and has performed well since the lottery. He is a plug-and-play type of forward who fits on the Hawks as either their starting 2 or 3. He is not an elite defender or offensive player, but he is solid enough at both and he is coming off of a really good offensive season. He does not need the ball in his hands to be an effective offensive player either, as his three-point numbers show. He will have to show this is sustainable, but he could be a real offensive threat next to Young and Johnson. He needs to show a wider array of skills on offense though and needs to drive and finish at the rim better.

Here is a scouting report on Risacher from the Ringer's Kevin O'Connor:

PLUSES

• Shows signs of becoming a knockdown shooter. He made 48.2 percent of his 3s over his first 34 games.The hot streaks are impressive: He certainly looks the part with a diverse shooting skill set: backpedaling into 3s, getting his feet set off screens, or sprinting to the wing in transition.
• Solid ball handler for his size, capable of bringing the ball up the floor off of defensive rebounds and steals. In the half court, he’s more of a slasher who can attack closeouts. He rarely ever gets chances to generate offense for himself.
• Quick decision-maker as a passer. If his handle continues to develop, he could provide great value with his facilitation, but at a baseline he could serve as a connective piece.
• Long-armed defender with the tools to be a valuable asset since he moves laterally like a wing. He’s also an aware help defender with a knack for altering shots.

MINUSES

• Struggles to score at the rim in the half court, making only 37.9 percent of those attempts in 2022 and 2023 competitions. This season, he made only 47.1 percent. He just doesn’t get a ton of lift at the basket, and he lacks burst off the dribble.
• He’ll need to prove his improved shooting numbers are for real. He made just 29.8 percent over his final 31 games, which better resembled the 32 percent of 3s he made in his previous three seasons overseas. He’s also a subpar free throw shooter, hovering around 70 percent in every season.

Atlanta still has a lot to figure out with its roster over the next few weeks. they have to solve the Trae Young/Dejounte Murray backcourt one way or another, and other players such as Clint Capela, De'Andre Hunter, and Bogdan Bogdanovic could potentially be on the move. Risacher is just going to be one piece in what should be a very eventful summer for the Hawks.