A French player has gone No. 1 overall in back-to-back NBA drafts.
With the first overall pick in the 2024 draft on Wednesday, the Atlanta Hawks selected Zaccharie Risacher.
Risacher became the seventh international player to go first off the board, one year after the San Antonio Spurs picked Victor Wembanyama.
But, unlike his fellow Frenchman, Risacher is a completely different profile.
Here’s everything to know about the 2024 NBA Draft’s first pick:
Risacher is a French forward who was selected by the Hawks as the first overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Risacher is 19 years old. He was born on April 8, 2005.
Risacher was actually born in Malaga, Spain. His father, Stephane, was playing professional basketball for Club Baloncesto Malaga. He lived there for three years before growing up in Lyon, France.
Risacher is listed at 6-foot-8.5 without shoes with a 6-foot-9.5 wingspan.
The Hawks drafted Risacher with the No. 1 overall pick in 2024.
The first ten picks in the 2024 NBA Draft have been selected.
Risacher did not attend a college in the United States since he was playing professional basketball in France.
In the 2023-24 season with JL Bourg of LNB Pro A in France, Risacher played in 32 games where he averaged 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.8 steals in 22 minutes per game. He had a 44/35/74 shooting split on 8/3.4/3.1 volume.
He also played 17 games in the EuroCup, where he was named the EuroCup Rising Star after averaging 13.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.8 steals in 24 minutes per game. He posted a 57/56/66 shooting split on 9/3.4/2.4 volume.
The Hawks are anchored by star guard Trae Young, though the future of backcourt partner Dejounte Murray is unclear. Saddiq Bey (RFA) is the only headliner for them in free agency, so Bogdan Bogdanovic, De’Andre Hunter and Jalen Johnson are the other forwards on the roster.
Risacher will likely come off the bench to play either the 3 or 4 position, but he still has a lot of refining to do. He’s not much of a shot creator and needs to establish himself as a reliable NBA 3-point shooter, while defensively he’s serviceable despite decent atleticism and a relatively small wingspan for his size.
His shooting numbers indicate growth could be possible, though Atlanta needs him to develop more on the ball to reach the level of a successful No. 1 overall pick.
