Report: Atlanta is "increasingly expected to be choosing between Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher" For the Top Pick

Who will the Atlanta Hawks Take With the No. 1 Pick in the 2024 NBA Draft?

The 2024 NBA Draft is less than five weeks away and the Atlanta Hawks will be on the clock with the first pick. Atlanta surprisingly won the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery and now gets the first selection. In what is expected to be an offseason of big change for Atlanta, this is likely the first domino that is going to fall.

Ever since the Hawks won the NBA Draft Lottery, Atlanta has been given French forward/center Alex Sarr in most mock drafts, but they have shown interest in French wing Zaccharie Risacher and according to NBA Insider Marc Stein, Atlanta is "increasingly expected to be choosing between Alex Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher" For the Top Pick

First bit of intel from a prominent national source on the Hawks and the No. 1 pick...

Per Marc Stein, Atlanta is "increasingly expected to be choosing between two Frenchmen — Alex Sarr and Zacchanie Risacher" with the top pick.https://t.co/gvmVxFUFZU

— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) May 23, 2024

Atlanta has struggled on the defensive end of the floor for the past few seasons and lacks size, athleticism, and length, which Sarr brings in droves. He is 7'1, 220 LBS, and has a 7'4 wingspan. He uses his athleticism well and would be an impact guy on that end of the floor immediately. He is arguably the highest-ceiling prospect in the draft at a position of need for the Hawks. He is the presumed favorite to be selected No. 1 for a reason.

SPN's Jonathan Givony released his new mock draft yesterday and he has the Hawks taking Sarr, while also acknowledging that most around the league don't really have a feel for the Hawks' plans:

"The Hawks jumped all way from No. 10 to 1 in the draft lottery, a rare stroke of luck that gives the team a chance to select a different caliber of prospect than the one their front office was preparing to pick all season. In an interview at the combine, general manager Landry Fields said he plans to "cast a wide net" in evaluating the Hawks' options at No. 1, which makes sense in a class with no consensus top prospect. Fields flew to France at the conclusion of the combine to watch potential No. 1 pick candidate Zaccharie Risacher drop 14 points with 6 rebounds in a playoff game but was not in attendance for Risacher's breakout game two days later when he had a career-high 28 points.

At this stage, NBA executives don't have a firm grasp of what the Hawks might ultimately do, as word coming out of their front office is they are still at a very early stage of decision-making and have plenty of work to do in gathering information and finding alignment. Many around the league expect the Hawks to select Sarr with the top pick, as there are compelling reasons to consider him the best prospect in this class with his elite physical tools, mobility, defensive versatility, finishing ability and potential as a perimeter shooter. He'd fit in nicely in a frontcourt alongside the likes of Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu, and should develop into a formidable rim-protector who can also cover ground on the perimeter, which is attractive in minimizing the defensive shortcomings of Trae Young.

We'd expect Fields and the Hawks front office to consider other options here as well, including Risacher, Donovan Clingan and trade opportunities."

While Sarr is the most popular pick, Bleacher report's Jonathan Wasserman had the Hawks selecting Risacher with the No. 1 pick in his new mock draft:

May 12 Mock Draft Spot: No. 2

Team: JL Bourg-en-Bresse

Position: SG/SF

Size: 6'8", 204 lbs

Age/Year: 19

Nationality: French

Pro Comparison: Harrison Barnes

"With lottery teams paying close attention to the LNB Pro A playoffs, Zaccharie Risacher picked a good time to explode for a career-high 28 points on Saturday.

The Atlanta Hawks' big decision-makers made the trip to France for JL Bourg's previous game.

While scouts continue to debate the height of Risacher's ceiling, there is also perceived level of certainty tied to his positional size, athleticism, shotmaking and defensive tools/quickness. And in a draft where there isn't an obvious, sure-thing All-Star at the top, Risacher's floor and valued three-and-D archetype could give him an edge with a team that saw AJ Griffin struggle with injuries and Saddiq Bey go down late to an ACL tear."

The Hawks are going to do their due deligence over the next few weeks when it comes to who they may take No. 1, but there seems to be a pair of favorites emerging.