Should Zaccharie Risacher Be Considred The New Favorite to Be Selected No. 1 Overall By The Atlanta Hawks?

Who will the Hawks select with the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft?

Zaccharie Risacher / CBS Sports

The Atlanta Hawks were certainly not expecting to be picking No. 1 overall this year, but after winning the NBA Draft Lottery, the Hawks control the draft. It has been talked about plenty by those who cover the league and the draft that this draft does not have a superstar type of talent on the level of Victor Wembanyama, Zion Williamson, or Anthony Davis, but for a team like Atlanta that has talent already, this draft has some really nice complementary pieces that have room to grow. Since the Hawks won the lottery, the favorite to go No. 1 has been French big man Alex Sarr, a 7'1 220 LBS forward with a 7'4 wingspan that would make a huge impact immediately on defense. Sarr seems like the perfect fit in Atlanta and remains among the favorites to be selected No. 1 overall.

But throughout the past couple of weeks, another name has picked up a lot of steam and that is French forward Zaccharie Risacher. Risacher is a 6'8, 204 LBS wing player who would also fill a big need for Atlanta. He has two-way versatility and has performed well 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. While Sarr was the player being sent to Atlanta in mock drafts right after the lottery, Risacher has been mocked to go No. 1 in the last two mock drafts from Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman and for the first time since the lottery, ESPN's Jonathan Givony has Risacher going to Atlanta in his latest mock draft that was released today:

"The intel out of the Hawks continues to indicate that their front office is at an early stage in its decision-making process and there likely won't be clarity on which way the team is leaning with this pick until closer to draft night. It's unclear how much of an appetite ownership has for entering a rebuilding mode, and that might be difficult to avoid depending on what the team does in regard to the futures of stars Trae Young and Dejounte Murray,

Trading this pick for more immediate contributors or moving down to take multiple swings in this relatively flat lottery class are options. Take for example a scenario in which San Antonio would trade the No. 4 and No. 8 selections for the right to move up and draft Risacher.

Should Atlanta stand pat at No. 1, Risacher is looking like an increasingly attractive option. His season came to a close with Bourg's semifinal loss to No. 1 seed Monaco, capping off a playoff run in which he averaged 15.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, shooting 67% from the field and 38% on 3-pointers; all outstanding numbers for a 19-year-old at this level of competition. His next stop is the NBA Global Camp in Treviso, Italy, where he'll have a medical examination and undergo draft combine activity including interviews with interested teams.

Every team in the top five has significant interest in Risacher, and it is looking highly unlikely, barring a major surprise, that he'll drop out of the top two."

Here is Wasserman had to say yesterday about the possibility of Risacher going No.1 to Atlanta:

"Every Zaccharie Risacher playoff possession right now is likely monitored under the microscope of the Atlanta Hawks and other lottery teams. And he just delivered consecutive standout performances with a combined 39 points and five threes against AS Monaco.

He's still scoring on mostly the same shot diet and effective one-two punch of off-ball shotmaking and athleticism in transition. It hints at a very translatable, plug-and-play game, particularly for a lineup like Atlanta's that already has two creators in Trae Young and Dejounte Murray.

Alex Sarr may offer more theoretical upside with his defensive versatility and face-up flashes at 7'1". Donovan Clingan could come off as more of an impact presence with his rim protection.

While scouts continue to debate the height of Risacher's ceiling, there is also a perceived level of certainty tied to his positional size, shooting and defensive tools/quickness. 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."

When you read the latest mock drafts, it might make you think that Risacher is the new favorite to go No. 1 overall to Atlanta.

There is still four weeks to go and I don't think anything is set in stone for the Hawks yet or at least it shouldn't be. It does feel like there is a lot of momentum with Risacher, but a lot can change over the next few weeks. Atlanta is going through a very through process and it could end with them selecting Risacher with the top pick. It could also end with them selecting Risacher and giving the Hawks a needed two-way player that would fit in nicely with the rest of the lineup.