ESPN Analyst Makes Bold Prediction For Zaccharie Risacher's Rookie Season

Atlanta selected Zaccharie Risacher With The No. 1 Pick in the 2024 NBA Draft

Jun 28, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks first overall draft pick Zaccharie Risacher poses for a photo with general manager Landry Fields at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 NBA Draft is now in the books. We are going to get the first look at the new rookies in a couple of weeks when they play at the NBA Summer League. Whoever performs the best during Summer League could have a very, very early lead for who is going to be the frontrunner for the 2024-2025 NBA Rookie Of The Year, and one of those players could be the No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher. Risacher was chosen No. 1 by the Atlanta Hawks and he is going to have an opportunity to step in right away and make an impact for the Hawks, which should put him in the hunt to win Rookie of The Year.

Risacher has already picked up one prediction to win the award. When giving their 2024 Draft recaps and looking ahead, ESPN's Jonathan Givony picked Risacher to win Rookie Of The Year:

"The Hawks will give Risacher every opportunity to be successful after picking him No. 1, and he's a great fit on their roster operating off one of the best passers in the NBA in Trae Young."

I still don't know if Risacher is going to start right away for the Hawks, but he is going to be a key rotational player at the very least. If he does start from day one, that should give him plenty of opportunity to win the award.

When Hawks general manager Landry Fields met with the media after the first round of the draft concluded, he pointed out that Risacher'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"

Risacher is a 6'8, 204 LBS wing player who fills a big need for Atlanta. He has two-way versatility and performed well in his league playoffs 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. Playing with Young should give Risacher plenty of open looks and if he continues to shoot at the level he did last year in France, that could result in some big numbers.

It is very early, but I think that Risacher is going to be in the mix to win Rookie Of The Year from day one of next season.