Analyzing the Atlanta Hawks Draft Class

The Atlanta Hawks tested their pick on lottery night and despite only having a 3% chance of winning, they ended up getting the first overall pick. This was the first time in franchise history that the Hawks got the first pick and they clearly took it seriously as they explored all of their options with this pick.

Let’s dive into each selection they made and the summary of their project.

The first pick in this year’s draft was Zaccharie Risacher, a native of France. Assuming that the Hawks are still trying to compete as long as Trae Young is still on this team, there is some solid logic behind this pick. Risacher is considered one of the safest picks in this year’s draft. At 6’2″, the fluid wing is a very good 3-point shooter.

He has the ability to make shots after the catch and is able to run off screens and knock down shots on the move. I wouldn’t say he’s an elite shooter, but he’s certainly very good. On the defensive end, he’s done a great job at the point of attack as he has the lateral quickness, size, and length to disrupt the flow of the primary ball-handler. Assuming the Hawks keep the rest of their core together, it looks like Risacher will be the starting wing next season for the team.

He’s projected to be a 3-and-D wing right out of the gate, which should be an ideal fit next to Young. The big concern with this pick is that if the Hawks decide to go into rebuild mode and get rid of Young, they’ll have to rely on Risacher to take on more on-ball responsibilities, but he hasn’t shown any real potential or signs of becoming a primary or secondary ball creator for a team.

The Hawks selected another promising international wing in Serbian native Nikola Djurisic in the second round. This was a solid choice by the Hawks for where they selected him. The 2.03m wing finished the season on a surprising note for KK Mega Basket, as he averaged 19.6 points and 3.7 assists per game over the final nine games of the season.

Djurisic is an excellent shooter, as he is a tough shooter and has a smooth jump shot. He is most comfortable scoring from mid-range, but he can also finish at the rim and is a capable 3-point shooter. The Serbian wing has shown good passing vision and has the ability to be a secondary or tertiary point guard in the NBA.

The two biggest questions surrounding Djurisic are whether he’ll be a consistent enough shooter to be considered a legitimate threat from behind the arc and whether he’ll hold up defensively? I don’t expect him to earn a ton of valuable minutes right away, but in a few years, Djurisic could find himself in a Bogdan Bogdanovic-type role.

In the grand scheme of things, the Hawks improved their wing depth after losing two wingers by trading second-year player AJ Griffin and allowing Saddiq Bey to leave in free agency. Risacher may not be the most polarizing or elite prospect, but he brings a shot and defense that this Hawks team was lacking a bit a season ago. The main problem with their first-round pick is that he doesn’t have the same upside as a guy like Alex Sarr.

That being said, Sarr didn’t want to practice with the Hawks and all indications were that he didn’t want to play in Atlanta, which could certainly play a role in the Hawks’ decision to bring in Risacher. The 6’11” wing could end up having a Michael Porter Jr.-type role for the Hawks, which is certainly valuable since Porter was huge in the Denver Nuggets winning their first NBA championship in 2023. It was just a good draft pick by the Hawks. They didn’t really make a “steal” with either pick and seemed to focus more on fit rather than the best player available.

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook And Follow us on twitter to stay up to date with all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the cover.