Hawks vs Wizards: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineup For Tonight's NBA Summer League Matchup

Will the Hawks start Summer League with a win tonight vs the Wizards?

Jun 28, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks first overall draft pick Zaccharie Risacher (10) poses for a photo at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Who's ready for some Hawks basketball?

For the first time since April, the Atlanta Hawks are going to take the court. Atlanta is kicking off its summer league schedule tonight with a highly anticipated matchup between the top two picks in this year's NBA Draft. Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr are making their NBA debuts tonight and there is going to be a lot of discussion based on how both of these players perform tonight.

It is not just about Risacher for the Hawks tonight. Second round pick NIkola Durisic is also making his Hawks debut and other players such as Mouhamed Gueye and E.J. Liddell are going to be guys to watch tonight.

So how do these two teams matchup tonight? Let's take a first look.

Game Preview and Injury Report

One unfortunate thing for the Hawks tonight is that they won't have second year guard Kobe Bufkin. The Hawks announced yesterday that Bufkin injured his right shoulder and will not play during Summer League. After Risacher, it was probably fair to say that Bufkin was the player Hawks fans were looking forward to seeing.

Let's take a look at the Hawks Summer League Roster ahead of tonight.

Hawks assistant coach Ronald Nored will serve as Atlanta’s Summer League head coach. This is the third time Nored has been at the helm of a Summer League team, as he served as head coach in 2022 with the Indiana Pacers and in 2019 with the Charlotte Hornets. Nored will be joined by Steve Klei, Reggis Onwukamuche, Jacob Porter, Ekpe Udoh, and Conner Varney as assistant coaches on this year’s team.

While it is tough to predict a Summer League starting lineup, I feel like the two guys that are locks for the starting lineup are Risacher and second year forward Mouhamed Gueye.

Risacher most recently suited up for JL Bourg (France), appearing in 32 French League Pro A regular season games (23 starts), averaging 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds in 21.9 minutes of play (.439 FG%, .352 3FG%, .740 FT%). He was named the 2023-24 French League Best Young Player, as well as the French LNB Pro A Best Young Player of the Month twice, earning the recognition in October and November.

The 2023-24 EuroCup Rising Star Award recipient saw action in 23 EuroCup games, averaging 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 23.5 minutes (.503 FG%, .450 3FG%, .688 FT%).

Risacher played in 50 career French League Pro A regular season contests, owning averages of 7.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 18.3 minutes (.425 FG%, .338 3FG%, .729 FT%). Prior to suiting up for JL Bourg, he played two seasons with French club ASVEL (2021-23), where he played alongside 2023 No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama during the 2021-22 season.

The 6-9 forward made his Senior National Team debut with France at the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers in February 2024. He also represented France at the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup, winning the silver medal, and helped lead France to the bronze medal at the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup.

From our own Rohan Raman on Gueye and Durisic:

"Gueye was selected by the Hawks in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft and received some playing time in College Park. Unfortunately, most of his year was wiped out due to a back injury and a UCL sprain. That being said, he did cap off his season on the Hawks' roster and put up 19 points with 9 rebounds and 5 stocks(steals and blocks) against Indiana in the Hawks' final game of the year. For Gueye, the Summer League season will be about showing his defensive upside. Even in his College Park games, he averaged1.3 blocks and 1.8 steals. At 6'11, he can credibly play at center in a lot of lineups. Summer League is not the best context for big men, but him showing off his defensive upside and positive growth on offense should give him a chance to crack the Hawks' rotation. At the least, he will be a worthy development project for College Park

After averaging 14.4 points. 3.4 assists and 3 rebounds per game on 45/33/74 splits last season, the Hawks took Durisic in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. Their selection of Durisic indicates they believe they can develop him into a playmaking wing who can put pressure on the rim. His ability to drive and slash through a defense should translate well to Summer League while his passing ability is really interesting. It is not fully developed, but he can make some impressive passes while driving to the basket. The loss of Bufkin means that the team is short a ball-handler and distributor, giving Durisic the chance to show how much upside he has as a passer. I think his shot still needs some work, but he could land on the roster with a strong showing in Las Vegas."

I am interested to see if Durisic breaks into the starting lineup tonight. With Bufkin out, he might be the top option to be the lead ball handler.

The other player from this year's draft who will be playing for the Hawks is Moses Wood. Wood was one of the nation's top three-point shooters while playing at Washington last year and if he can show he can bring that same kind of shooting ability and volume to the court, he could be an intriguing player to watch this summer.

The good thing about this Hawks Summer League team is that they have played together a lot in College Park. Players like Rob Baker, Jordan Bowden, Jarkel Joiner, Emmit Matthews Jr, and Miles Norris are all on the Summer League Roster.

Nick Ongenda, Dylan Windler, Keaton Wallace, and Liddell are the other players to watch.

For the Wizards, Sarr is going to get the bulk of the attention tonight, but there are other players to watch. The Wizards had two other first round picks, Bub Carrington (Pitt) and Kyshawn George (Miami), and they are going to be players to watch. Both are capable shooters and can get hot at anytime. Justin Champagnie, former Kansas State star Markquis Nowell, and former Wizards first round pick Johnny Davis are also on the Wizards roster.

Projected starting lineups

It is tough to figure out starting lineups for Summer League teams, but I am going to give it my best shot.

Atlanta Hawks:

G- Nikola Durisic

G- Dylan Windler

F- Zaccharie Risacher

F- Mouhamed Gueye

C-Nick Ongenda

Durisic could be the lead ball-handler with Bufkin out, while Windler will help space the floor and as the most experienced player on the roster, I have a hard time not seeing him play a lot. Risacher and Gueye should be the starting forwards, while I think Ongenda is likely to start at center with his size.

Here is my best guess for the Wizards starting lineup:

G-Jared Butler

G-Johnny Davis

F-Justin Champagnie

F- Alex Sarr

C-Tristan Vukcevic