Hawks GM Landry Fields reveals when they selected Zaccharie Risacher with No. 1 pick

It’s been a huge week for the Atlanta Hawks franchise.

After winning the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery, the Hawks had nearly two months to decide who they wanted to take with the first overall pick and ultimately selected French forward Zaccharie Risacher. The Hawks felt like they cast a pretty wide net for the first pick and during today’s introductory press conference, the Hawks’ general manager detailed why they selected Risacher with the first pick:

“It all started with the first overall pick, which is why you win the lottery, that’s how it happened and we went through that whole process. I commend our group for the amount of work, effort and miles those two guys put in to identify who they are and what they represent. It all came down to the last few days and we got together as a group and we narrowed it down to two and in the end we chose Zaccharie as the guy we wanted to build around. It was really close from start to finish.”

When Hawks general manager Landry Fields met with the media after the end of the first round of the draft, he noted that Risacher’s versatility on the defensive end and his ability to shoot were important factors in the Hawks liking him as hope:

“Well, you start with what you see is that he’s 2.08m tall and he has the ability to play on both sides of the ball, he has the ability to defend, he is a versatile defender, a very good shooter and a player with a high IQ. You know the level of development he’s had so far is fantastic, he’s only 19, he’ll be 19 all next year and I’ve always said all the important qualities for us in the past, about these types of players and who we ultimately want in the building and he has a significant number of them. »

Risacher is a 6-foot-4, 200-pound wing who fills a major need for Atlanta. He’s a versatile two-way forward who has performed well in his league’s playoffs since the lottery. He’s a plug-and-play forward who would fit the Hawks as a No. 2 or No. 3 starter.