Atlanta Hawks Potential No. 1 Pick Receives Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Player Award

The Atlanta Hawks own the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, but it’s still unclear which player they favor for selection. There seems to be a consensus that they will take Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Rishacher or Donovan Clingan to lead the group, but no one has really emerged from this group, at least not yet.

The player who probably has the most momentum in terms of the No. 1 pick discussion is French winger Zaccharie Risacher. Risacher was mocked by the Hawks with the No. 1 pick in the last two mocks from ESPN and Bleacher Report and it appears the Hawks are fans of Risacher. He has performed well for his team in the playoffs over the past two weeks and is a prototype 3-D winger. Risacher has been the subject of many comparisons, but the latest one from ESPN’s Jeremy Woo should be of particular interest to Hawks fans:

High end: Khris Middleton with more defense

Low end: Trey Murphy III

“Risacher brings a lot to the field as an athletic 3-D winger with room to expand his game on both ends. Although he probably won’t become a No. 1 option on offense as he becomes more at comfortable playing multiple dribbles and developing as a shooter, it’s easy to see him becoming a viable wing scorer a la Middleton, who had an exceptional run in Milwaukee, including a title in 2021.

Risacher should also offer more defense, where he has positive lateral agility and should be switchable. There is a high level of two-way advantage here if one can overcome the limited shot creation ability. On the floor, provided Risacher continues to improve as a shooter, you can imagine him functioning like Murphy currently does for New Orleans: bringing excellent size and athleticism coupled with floor spacing and quality defense, but without creating a ton of offense for himself or himself. take a lot of dribbles.

If the Hawks take Risacher and he turns out to be a Khris Middleton with better defense, Atlanta likely took an All-NBA level player who would be the perfect complement to Trae Young. If that is the true ceiling for Risacher, he should definitely be in the mix for the Hawks with the No. 1 pick.

This hypothetical floor for Risacher is also interesting. Trey Murphy III has become a very good player for the New Orleans Pelicans and he is a very good defender and sharpshooter from three. The debate would be: If he turns out to be like Murphy, is he worth the first overall pick? I would say no. Murphy is a very good player, but he’s probably only the third or fourth best player on a championship team. This isn’t a bad thing, but the cap space needs to be considered when selecting the No. 1 pick.

A number of draft analysts have said that Risacher is a prospect who has limited ceiling, but a high floor and also plays a position of need. Risacher is a 6’8, 204 LBS winger who would also fill a big need for Atlanta. He has two-way versatility and has performed well since the lottery. He is a plug-and-play type forward who would suit the Hawks as a starting 2 or 3. He’s not an elite defender nor an offensive player, but he’s pretty solid at both and he comes from a very good level. good offensive season. He also doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be an effective offensive player, as his three-point numbers show. He’ll need to show that it’s sustainable, but he could be a real offensive threat alongside Young and Johnson. Risacher could end up being a very good partner with Young and Johnson. He needs to show a wider range of skills on offense, however, and needs to drive and finish better at the rim. I think he would be the best fit for the Hawks, although I don’t like his overall ceiling.

Risacher was mocked for going No. 1 in Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman’s last two mock drafts and for the first time since the lottery, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony had Risacher going to Atlanta in his latest mock draft which was published this week:

“Reports from the Hawks continue to indicate that their front office is at an early stage in its decision-making process and it is likely that it will not be clear which direction the team is leaning with this pick before draft night it’s unclear what appetite the owners have to enter a rebuilding mode, and that could be difficult to avoid depending on what the team does regarding the future of the team. stars Trae Young and Dejounte Murray,

Trading this pick for more immediate contributors or moving down to take multiple swings in this relatively flat lottery class are options. Consider a scenario in which San Antonio trades the No. 4 and No. 8 selections for the right to move up and draft Risacher.

If Atlanta remains in first place, Risacher appears to be an increasingly attractive option. His season ended with Bourg’s semifinal loss to No. 1 seed Monaco, capping a playoff run in which he averaged 15.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, shooting 67% from the field and 38% from 3-point range; all exceptional numbers for a 19-year-old at this level of competition. His next stop is the NBA Global Camp in Treviso, Italy, where he will complete a medical exam and participate in draft activity, including interviews with interested teams.

All teams in the top five have significant interest in Risacher, and it seems very unlikely, barring a major surprise, that he will drop out of the top two.”

Here’s what Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman had to say last week about the possibility of Risacher becoming No. 1 in Atlanta:

“Every possession of Zaccharie Risacher in the playoffs is currently under the microscope of the Atlanta Hawks and other lottery teams. And he is coming off back-to-back outstanding performances with a total of 39 points and five threes against AS Monaco .

He still scores with essentially the same shooting regime and an effective one-two punch of off-ball shooting and athleticism in transition. This hints at a very translatable plug-and-play game, especially for a lineup like Atlanta’s that already has two creators in Trae Young and Dejounte Murray..

Alex Sarr may provide more theoretical upside with his defensive versatility and face-up flashes at 7’1″. Donovan Clingan could prove to be more of an impact presence with his rim protection.

While scouts continue to debate Risacher’s ceiling height, there is also a perceived level of certainty related to his positional size, shooting tools and defensive quickness. In a draft where there is no obvious, sure All-Star at the top, Risacher’s floor and 3-D archetype could give him an advantage with a team that has seen AJ Griffin struggle with injuries and Saddiq Bey leave. late due to torn ACL“.

Risacher is one of the hottest prospects in the draft and appears to be in the thick of the race to be selected No. 1 overall. The Hawks front office has a crucial decision to make before the draft and to ensure they select the right player for this team.