Hawks use No. 1 pick on France's Risacher, 19

Tim Bontemps from ESPN posted an article on June 27, 2024, at 1:17 AM.

The Atlanta Hawks selected forward Zaccharie Risacher as the top choice in the 2024 NBA draft, continuing a trend of French players being drafted in recent years.

Risacher is the beginning of four French players chosen in the first round, he is inspired by his fellow French player Victor Wembanyama who was picked as No. 1 by the San Antonio Spurs last year.

Risacher is the fourth player from outside the United States to be selected as the number one overall pick in the NBA draft. He joins Italian player Andrea Bargnani (Toronto Raptors, 2006) and Hall of Fame center Yao Ming (Houston Rockets, 2002) as international prospects who have achieved this honor.

"I feel really fortunate," Risacher stated. "I am filled with excitement and overwhelmed with emotions. It's hard to put into words, but this experience is truly exceptional. I am grateful for this opportunity."

Risacher, a 19-year-old, competed for JL Bourg in the top basketball league in France and had an average of 11.1 points and 4.0 rebounds in both the EuroCup and the French league this season. He is the son of Stephane Risacher, a former professional basketball player in France who won a silver medal at the 2000 Olympic Games with the French national team.

"I'm really looking forward to what's coming," Zaccharie Risacher expressed. "I simply want to give my all to support the team. I believe I can contribute significantly. I'm prepared to do whatever is necessary to earn a spot on the court with those talented players."

The tall forward stood out during the draft process, and Atlanta, which moved up from the 11th spot to the top spot in last month's NBA draft lottery, selected him with their first No. 1 pick in the lottery era. Now, Risacher will join forward Jalen Johnson in the Hawks' frontcourt, as the team faces uncertainties about the future of their star-studded backcourt featuring Trae Young and Dejounte Murray.

The Hawks will also focus on enhancing their defense, as they faced challenges in defensive performance last year. They ranked 27th overall in defensive efficiency, 24th in defense against on-ball screens, 29th in transition defense, and 26th in field goal percentage allowed against layups and dunks.

Another young man from France, Alex Sarr, who is also 19 years old, was selected as the second pick by the Washington Wizards. The Rockets chose Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard as the third pick. Tidjane Salaun, another player from France, was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets as the sixth pick.

Towards the end of the initial round, the New York Knicks selected guard Pacome Dadiet as the 25th pick, making him the fourth French player to be chosen in the draft.

Risacher expressed his appreciation, saying, "I find it fantastic that we are working towards representing our nation, and I am honored to be a part of it. With more players joining us, I feel a great sense of pride in contributing to my country's achievements."

Sarr added, "This simply demonstrates the high level of skill present in France. I am thrilled for Zacc and have high hopes for our national team's success."

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At the start of the event, NBA commissioner Adam Silver praised the Boston Celtics for their recent NBA championship win in 2024. However, his comments were met with disapproval from the fans in attendance. Silver also talked about how the Celtics successfully built their team by selecting Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum as the third overall picks in the 2016 and 2017 drafts.

Silver made a sarcastic remark about the draft taking place in Brooklyn's Barclays Center. This is where the Nets, the team that traded picks for Brown and Tatum, played a part in bringing Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to the Celtics in 2013.

In contrast to last year's straightforward draft, where Wembanyama was the clear choice from start to finish, this year's selection process was more chaotic. Risacher, Sarr, Sheppard, and UConn center Donovan Clingan were all considered as potential picks before Atlanta ultimately chose Risacher with the first overall pick.

Once the Hawks chose Risacher, Washington picked Sarr, a flexible 7-foot forward who has been compared to the legendary NBA player Al Horford, with the second pick, as many had predicted. This set the stage for an exciting moment when the Rockets were up next to make their selection.

Houston had the third selection thanks to their trade with the Nets for James Harden in 2021. They chose Sheppard, a talented shooter who had an impressive 52% 3-point shooting percentage with the Wildcats. This adds to a promising group of young players on the Rockets, which includes guard Amen Thompson, forward Jabari Smith Jr., and center Alperen Sengun.

"I can't believe it... it's like a dream that came true," Sheppard exclaimed. "Houston has something special happening. The coach [Ime Udoka] is amazing. They have a group of young, athletic players, and we're going to be able to play at a fast pace. I'm really excited about it."

Sheppard, who stands at 6 feet 2 inches, is the fifth player of that height or shorter to be chosen within the top three picks of the NBA draft in the last three decades, as reported by ESPN Stats & Information. He is also the third guard from Kentucky to be selected within the top five picks of the NBA draft, joining John Wall in 2010 and De'Aaron Fox in 2017.

This meant that the Spurs, a team from Texas, had the fourth pick in the draft. They also had the eighth pick in the draft. The crowd in Brooklyn cheered loudly when the Spurs selected Stephon Castle, a guard from UConn, the two-time national champions.

"I was previously playing for a top college basketball coach, and now transitioning to the NBA to play for a renowned coach like Coach Pop is truly a blessing," Castle expressed.

In the draft, Detroit Pistons chose Ron Holland II, a forward from the G League Ignite, with the fifth pick. There was some interest in trading up for Clingan, a top defensive player, but the Pistons decided to stick with their original choice.

The Hornets added another player from France in this draft by selecting Salaun, a tall and agile forward standing at 6 feet 9 inches. Salaun had recently played for Cholet Basket in France before joining the team.

Salaun expressed his belief that basketball in France has gotten better, which is why they are participating in this draft. He noted that having three French players in the top 10 is a significant achievement.

This meant that Clingan was still available for the Portland Trail Blazers to pick in the seventh position. They had wanted to draft him as their center, and were successful in getting him at that spot.

Selecting Clingan raised additional uncertainty surrounding the fate of other Trail Blazers players like Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams. Portland is actively restructuring its roster after exchanging the 14th pick in a trade with the Wizards to acquire forward Deni Avdija.

After reaching the Western Conference finals, the Minnesota Timberwolves made a move by trading future draft picks to the Spurs for the eighth pick in the draft. With that pick, they selected Rob Dillingham, a talented scoring guard from Kentucky.

The Memphis Grizzlies couldn't secure Clingan, so they decided to draft Purdue center Zach Edey, who is 7-foot-4 and was the national player of the year. The Utah Jazz followed by selecting Cody Williams, the younger sibling of Jalen Williams from the Oklahoma City Thunder, with the 10th pick.

After that, the Chicago Bulls selected forward Matas Buzelis, who is from Chicago and previously played for G League Ignite, as the 11th pick. The Oklahoma City team then chose Serbian point guard Nikola Topic as the 12th pick, despite having a partially torn ACL that may cause him to sit out for the entire season.

Sacramento then selected Devin Carter, a guard from Providence and the son of former NBA player Anthony Carter, with the 13th overall pick.

The Wizards completed the lottery by choosing Carlton "Bub" Carrington, a 6-foot-4 guard from Pittsburgh, with the 14th pick, which was officially made by Portland.

In the next part of the first round, the Denver Nuggets made a deal with the Phoenix Suns to move up in the draft. They went from the 28th pick to the 22nd overall pick to select DaRon Holmes from Dayton. In exchange for the higher pick, the Nuggets gave up not only the 28th pick, but also the 56th pick, along with second-round picks in 2026 and 2031. This trade allowed Phoenix to add more draft picks to their limited collection.

The Knicks had the 24th and 25th draft picks, but they traded the 24th pick to Washington for the 26th and 51st selections. Washington then used their third first-round pick to select Miami forward Kyshawn George.

New York then selected Dadiet with the 25th pick in the draft, and later traded the 26th pick to the Thunder. The Thunder used this pick to choose Dillon Jones from Weber State. In return, the Knicks received five second-round picks from Oklahoma City.

The next part of choosing players will take place on Thursday at ESPN's Seaport District studios at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN.