ESPN NBA Panel Picks Zaccharie Risacher to Have a Better NBA Career Than Alex Sarr

Atlanta chose Risacher over Sarr in the 2024 NBA Draft

Jul 12, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Washington Wizards guard Jules Bernard (14) attempts to block a shot by Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) during the second half at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports / Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

There was a lot of debate amongst NBA Draft analysts this summer about who the Hawks should take with the No. 1 pick. While most seemed to think that Alex Sarr was the top prospect in the draft, there was no consensus. Zaccharie Risacher was seen as a good fit for the Hawks and their current roster and that is who the Hawks chose with the first pick. The two French players faced off in the first game of Summer League, with Risacher scoring 18 points. While Risacher only played in two games this summer, I think he clearly outplayed Sarr, who struggled with his shot in a big way.

Today, ESPN released the results of a survey that asked 20 anonymous NBA Executives and Scouts numerous questions about this rookie class. One of the questions that was asked was who would have the better career between Risacher and Sarr and Risacher won decisively with 15 votes.

"Risacher was the resounding favorite here, pulling in 15 of the 20 votes. There's a good deal of optimism surrounding his trajectory, which contributed to his draft selection at No. 1. Executives are confident in his defensive ability, court feel and room to grow on offense, giving him a higher perceived floor than Sarr, who at this stage, and considering his uneven summer league performance, requires a bit more faith in his long-term projection.

"They were asking [Sarr] to do too much [in Las Vegas] and giving him freedom he shouldn't have, but I'm bullish on his outlook long-term overall," one voter said, making the case for Sarr's future. "He's got phenomenal physical tools and NBA All-Defensive Team ability. His ballhandling, passing and shooting gives him a good framework to build off offensively. He's going to be really good."

It's worth noting that there's likely a degree of recency bias tilted toward Risacher following Sarr's summer league showing -- including a forgettable 0-for-15 performance. That means little in the scope of things, but there's also an understanding that Sarr is simply further away from being a plus contributor no matter which NBA team had picked him.

Many executives think Risacher is much closer to helping a team win.

"[Risacher's] baseline is outstanding already with what he brings defensively and with his shooting and feel," one voter said. "The NBA is a feel league now and he's always a step ahead of the play on both ends. He'll continue to grow playing out of ball screens and making reads because he can really pass and he's super smart. His body is going to get bigger and that will unlock a lot of things for him."

Risacher is going to be in a more advantageous situation, being able to play with an elite point guard. He will not be asked to do much in terms of creation and he should get some great looks on offense thanks to playing with Trae Young. His defense is already solid as well, even though it is not as good as Sarr's.

For the other questions though, Risacher did not get a lot of love. He only got one vote to be the best rookie in the class, he got a vote as the biggest reach of the draft, and he only got one vote to be Rookie of the Year for the 2024-2025 season.

This is going to be one of the things to watch when it comes to this draft class, but it is going to be 2-3 years before you can really say who is the better player. While Risacher looked much better this summer, it is a small sample size. Both players are talented and should be among the two best players in the entire class.