ATLANTA — The Atlanta Hawks drafted Zaccharie Risacher with the first overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft - their first No. 1 overall selection in nearly 50 years.
Risacher is a 6-foot-8 forward from Malaga, Spain. This past year, he played basketball for JL Bourg in France, where he averaged 11.1 points and four rebounds over the course of 65 games.
Risacher was the betting favorite to be selected first overall, ahead of players like Donovan Clingan, Alexandre Sarr and Bronny James. Risacher is only 19 years old, and will have plenty of time to refine his game on a Hawks team that needs young talent.
Atlanta hasn’t had a No. 1 overall pick since 1975, when the team selected David Thompson.
Thompson never played a game for the Hawks due to differences between ABA and NBA rules.
The last time the Hawks had a top-three pick was in 2018, when they selected All-NBA guard Trae Young.
The Hawks have used their recent first-round picks to try and build around Young, particularly at the forward position. They’ve taken wings such as De’Andre Hunter, Jalen Johnson and AJ Griffin since taking young, and they’ve had mixed results at the position. With Risacher, they might have finally gotten their forward of the future.
The Hawks finished with a 36-46 record this past season, narrowly missing the playoffs. They only had a 3% chance of winning the No. 1 overall pick in the lottery, and they selected Risacher. If he plays well in his rookie year, Atlanta might find a way back to the playoffs.