The Atlanta Hawks chosen ahead Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 general choose of the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday night time.
Risacher comes out of France, the place he most lately performed for JL Bourg-en-Bresse of LNB Elite, the nation’s premier division {of professional} basketball.
“So thrilling. There’s a number of emotions and feelings proper now. I don’t know what to say, however I’m so blessed,” Risacher stated.
In 32 video games final season, Risacher averaged 10.1 factors, 3.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists for JL Bourg. The 19-year-old is 6-foot-9 and weighed in at 195 kilos on the draft mix again in Might.
Atlanta doesn’t personal one other choose on this yr’s draft, which has been break up into two days. Wednesday’s first spherical is being held at Barclays Heart in New York. ESPN’s Seaport District Studios — additionally in New York — will host the second spherical.
The Washington Wizards then took fellow Frenchman Alexandre Sarr off the board with the second general choose.
Sarr, 19, spent the 2023-24 marketing campaign with the Perth Wildcats of Australia’s Nationwide Basketball League. He averaged 9.4 factors, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 27 video games.
It marked the third time in NBA draft historical past the place the highest two picks haven’t had faculty expertise. Sarr has leaned on his brother, Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder middle Olivier Sarr, for steerage as he prepares to play the subsequent stage.
“He’s shared rather a lot with me,” Alexandre Sarr stated. “All the pieces I’ve realized is thru him and he gave me all his information, and to this present day it’s actually particular to have somebody like him in my nook.”
Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard went to the Houston Rockets at No. 3, whereas UConn’s Stephon Citadel landed with the San Antonio Spurs at No. 4. Ron Holland II of G League Ignite, who will likely be becoming a member of the Detroit Pistons, rounded out the highest 5.
In his lone season with the Wildcats, Sheppard posted averages of 12.5 factors, 4.5 assists and 4.1 boards throughout 33 video games.
Citadel additionally spent only one season on the collegiate stage, serving to the Huskies safe their second straight nationwide title by recording 11.1 factors, 4.7 rebounds and a pair of.9 assists per sport.
“This man while you have a look at match proper there, the Spurs worth successful, they worth staff, they worth championships, and that is simply the right participant for them to draft,” UConn coach Dan Hurley informed ESPN. “This man is simply scratching the floor.”
Holland appeared in 14 video games this previous season. He averaged 20.6 factors, 6.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and a pair of.5 steals.
After one other Frenchman, Tidjane Salaun, was taken by the Charlotte Hornets at No. 6, the Portland Path Blazers grabbed huge man Donovan Clingan. Clingan was a two-time champion with the Huskies in his solely two seasons of school basketball.
San Antonio then had the eighth general choose, and it opted to go along with guard Rob Dillingham out of Kentucky. Dillingham is reportedly being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Purdue middle Zach Edey, a two-time Nationwide Participant of the Yr, landed with the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 9. Edey averaged 25.2 factors, 12.2 rebounds and a pair of.2 blocks final season.