On the heels of a fortuitous bounce in the Draft Lottery, the Atlanta Hawks have shown plenty of interest in taking one of the promising French prospects projected to be selected in the first 14 picks in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Immediately after winning the No. 1 pick in the draft, Hawks general manager Landry Fields was asked about Perth center Alexandre Sarr. Though acknowledging the Frenchman could be in play for them at No. 1, he refused to divulge much more than that. Among the best defensive players in his class, Sarr could make life a lot easier for Atlanta at that end.
Hawks Scout Zaccharie Risacher Days After Landing No. 1 Pick
Four days later, Fields and his front office constituents traveled to France to watch JL Bourg’s Zaccharie Risacher in the LNB Élite tournament.
Dimanche soir, Atlanta a hérité du premier choix de draft #NBA à la surprise générale.
Quatre jours plus tard, le coach des Hawks, Quin Snyder, et le GM adjoint Kyle Korver ont fait le déplacement jusqu’à Bourg pour observer Zaccharie Risacher en playoffs de #BetclicÉLITE ! pic.twitter.com/N2l9ZrQ2yQ— Alexandre Lacoste (@Alex__Lacoste) May 16, 2024
Whether he knew they were in attendance is unclear. Nonetheless, with the Hawks’ front office sitting front row, Risacher put on a show. Facing off against Nanterre in the quarterfinals, Risacher tallied 14 points and six rebounds on 6-12 shooting from the field (2-5 from 3).
#NBADraft prospect Zaccharie Risacher put on a SHOW for @JLBourgBasket 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Yz8jOnolT9
— NBA Future Starts Now (@nbafuturenow) May 16, 2024
Listed at 6-foot-8 and 204 pounds, Risacher is a hybrid forward with a hair trigger beyond the arc. He’s averaging 10.7 points and 3.6 rebounds in 22.7 minutes per game on the season, shooting 38.8 percent from 3. As the Hawks work out the kinks in their frontcourt, Risacher could become a foundational piece.
Saddiq Bey
Though a tough defender, Saddiq Bey didn’t perform well as a stretch-four in 2023-24, shooting a career-low 31.6 percent from 3. Furthermore, after suffering a season-ending knee injury in late March, his future with the team could be in jeopardy. Bey will be a restricted free agent this offseason. Risacher could be his replacement.
De’Andre Hunter
Risacher could also be an affordable alternative to former fourth overall pick De’Andre Hunter. Last offseason, Atlanta was determined to move Hunter but didn’t find any takers. With him averaging 15.6 points per game on 38.5 percent shooting from 3 (both career-highs) in 2023-24, that may change. Hunter is due nearly $70 million over the next three seasons.
