For the second straight season, the French star was selected No. 1 overall in the draft.
The Atlanta Hawks selected Zachary Reisacher with the first pick in the NBA draft on Wednesday night. Reisacher, a 6-foot-8 winger who played for JL Bourg in Ligue 1 last season, was undoubtedly one of the top prospects in this year’s class and was a prime target for the Hawks in the lead-up to the tournament. Draft.
This is only the fourth time in the modern draft era that the first pick has been an international player. The San Antonio Spurs selected Victor Wimpanyama with the No. 1 pick last summer. The Toronto Raptors drafted Andrea Bargnani out of Italy first in 2006, and the Houston Rockets selected Chinese star Yao Ming No. 1 overall in 2002.
While Risacher doesn’t have anywhere near the buzz that Wembanyama generated entering the draft, he’s still a player with tremendous development that the Hawks can build on for years to come.
The 19-year-old averaged 11.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game for JL Bourg last season, leading them to the semifinals of the LBN Pro A playoffs. He scored an impressive 28 points while hitting five three-pointers in a playoff game against Nanterre is in its best game of the season. Resacher helped lead Bourg to the semi-finals of the playoffs, but were eliminated by eventual league champions Monaco. Resacher has also played for France’s U16, U17 and U19 squads, although he will not be with France at the Paris Olympics later this summer.
The Hawks have targeted both Risacher and UConn star Donovan Clingan in recent weeks. In fact, Alex Sarr, another French player who spent last season in Australia, refused to work with them. Sarr has long been expected to go No. 1 overall, even though Reisacher has out-ranked him in most mock drafts in recent days, and it’s easy to see why.
Risacher is a very safe pick in this draft class, given his potential and the fact that his game looks like a great fit for the NBA — especially considering he played over 50 games last season in the French league as a teenager.
“I will say the fact that I was on a pro team counts,” he said Tuesday when asked why he stood out in the draft class. Via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “And I was seen as part of a winning team and not just like a potential NBA player or someone who needed minutes because of his stature. Yeah, just the professional experience throughout the year, the people, the famous players made me realize that I could do something great in a season, as a player, And also as a team and also the fact that I was training every day I think once you start working you start to feel more confident and you don’t usually worry.
Even if he doesn’t turn into a generational talent the way many expect him to, Riesacher should be a great fit alongside Trae Young and Dejounte Murray and be able to make a big impact in Atlanta right away.
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