Victor Wembanyama Praises the Hawks's Selection of Zaccharie Risacher With the No. 1 Pick

A French player has gone No. 1 in the NBA Draft in back-to-back years

FOR NORTH AMERICA CUSTOMERS ONLY - JL Bourg player #10 Zaccharie Risacher seen in action during the second match of Betclic Elite semi-final play off between AS Monaco and JL Bourg at Gaston Medecin Hall on May 25, 2024. Laurent Coust/SOPA Images/Sipa USA via USA TODAY Sports / SOPA Images/Sipa USA via USA TODAY

The first round of the NBA Draft has come and gone and the Atlanta Hawks, after much speculation about what they were going to do with the No. 1 pick, stayed put and drafted French forwardZaccharie Risacher, who had become the odds-on favorite to be selected No.1. There were no trades or surprises, the Hawks stuck at No. 1 and took the guy most people thought they were going to take. There is a lot of debate over whether Risacher deserves to go No. 1, but he does bring a certain skill set that is coveted around the NBA, which is a big wing player who can guard multiple positions and shoot the ball well.

One player that approved of the Hawks taking Risacher was last year's No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama, who is also French. This made it two straight drafts where a French prospect went No.1 and Wembanyama hopes that France can continue that going forward:

"If we've done it twice in a row, it means we can do it a third and why not a fourth time," Wembanyamatold reporters Thursday.

Doing it that many years in a row would be an incredible feat and these guys being at the top of the draft shows the level of basketball being played over there.

When Hawks general manager Landry Fields met with the media after the first round of the draft concluded, he pointed out thatRisacher's versatility on the defensive end and his ability to shoot were huge factors in the Hawks liking him as a prospect:

"Well, you start by what you see and that is he is 6'10 and got the ability to play on both sides of the ball, has the ability to defend, a versatile defender, a really good shooter, and a high IQ type of player. You know, the amount of development that he has had up until this point is fantastic, he is still only 19, he will be 19 all of next year and I have consistently said all of the important qualities for us in the past, about those types of players and who we want in the building at the end of the day and he possesses a significant amount of those"

His ceiling can be debated, but there is no doubt that Risacher can be an impact player for the Hawks. It will be interesting to see how his role develops over the course of next season and how he fits in with the team.