Zacharie Risacher Remains No. 1 Pick in Bleacher Report’s Updated Mock Version

There are now 13 days left until the NBA Draft and the time is approaching for the Atlanta Hawks to make a decision with the No. 1 pick. The Hawks have been involved in decision-making since winning the NBA Draft Lottery, but it’s almost time to make a decision.

Exactly what the Hawks are doing, however, is up for debate. It appears the Hawks will decide between Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher and Donovan Clingan, but opinions on who they will take are divided.

One opinion that hasn’t changed over the past few weeks is Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, who still has the Hawks selecting Risacher as the No. 1 pick in his latest mock draft.

Team: JL Bourg-en-Bresse

Position: SG/SF

Height: 6’8″, 204 lbs

Age/year: 19

French nationality

Professional comparison: Harrison Barnes

“Rival teams continue to guess who the Atlanta Hawks prefer at No. 1. And we continue to give the edge to Zaccharie Risacher, a perceived safe pick with a valued archetype and pathways to improve and move up to level three and D which it brings to JL Bourg.

While scouts continue to debate Risacher’s ceiling height, there is a perceived level of certainty related to his positional size, shooting tools and defensive quickness. This could cause the Hawks to struggle without a sure star at the top. Saddiq Bey and AJ Griffin’s injury concerns could also help Risacher get to Atlanta.”

In a recent CBS Sports Adam Finkelstein mock, he calls for the Hawks to select Sarr with the No. 1 pick, but he also left an interesting note about the Hawks and Clingan in his notes:

“I’ve gone back and forth on whether Atlanta would select Sarr or Risacher in recent weeks, which I think is an apt reflection of some of the indecision going on in Atlanta. Sources also say that Clingan not only worked, but also made an impression in doing so, fueling rumors of a potential trade down where they could target the big man and add another draft asset.

There has apparently been a lot more discussion about the Hawks taking RIsacher or Clingan than there is about taking Sarr. That’s not to say he’s not in play, but the other two prospects are gaining a lot more traction at this point in the process.

If the Hawks wanted to go back and take Clingan, how far would they go and what would they get in return? There have been a few mock trades with the San Antonio Spurs where they send #4 and #8 to the Hawks or they send #4 and one of the Hawks picks from the Dejounte Murray trade to Atlanta , but there is no guarantee. that Clingan comes in at No. 4 (or that the Spurs would make that deal to be honest with you). Clingan is a candidate to go to the Wizards with the No. 2 pick and there have been rumors of teams (Memphis?) trying to trade up to the No. 3 pick to take Clingan. It’s not completely out of the question that the Rockets could stay there and take him if they view him as the best player available. Could the Hawks move back to No. 2? Maybe, but no reports suggest the Wizards are interested in moving forward.

Clingan is considered the best college player in this draft and some consider him the safest player in the draft due to his perceived ability to immediately be a top defender and his potential to develop his game on the offensive end. He drew comparisons to four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, who played for current Hawks head coach Quin Snyder when they were in Utah. I think a comparison to Gobert is noble, but it’s not hard to see where people get that idea from.

We will know what happens in 13 days. In the meantime, let the guessing games continue.