The Atlanta Hawks reshaped their roster by trading Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans and getting the number one pick Zaccharie Risacher from the 2024 NBA Draft. All-Star guard Trae Young, though, has shared his thoughts on the latter and his impact on the team moving forward.
The 2024 NBA Draft witnessed a historic moment as the Hawks selected Risacher with the first overall pick, marking the second consecutive year a French player has been chosen at the top. Risacher, a 19-year-old forward, impressed the Hawks with his catch-and-shoot scoring ability and ideal size for a wing player.
The selection of Risacher continues a recent trend of international talent making a significant impact in the NBA. Last year, Victor Wembanyama, another French player, was selected first overall and went on to win the Rookie of the Year award. This year, Risacher was chosen ahead of fellow Frenchman Alex Sarr, who was selected second by the Washington Wizards.
The 2024 draft class is notable for its lack of a clear consensus top talent, which allowed the Hawks to confidently take Risacher with the first pick. The young forward will join a promising core in Atlanta that includes Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, and Jalen Johnson, as the Hawks look to build on their recent success and return to the playoffs.
The strong international presence in the draft, with three French players selected in the top six picks, underscores the growing global appeal and competitiveness of the NBA. As the league continues to attract elite talent from around the world, the 2024 draft class represents a significant milestone in the sport’s ongoing evolution.
All-Star Guard Trae Young Reveals Honest Opinion on Atlanta Hawks’ Top Pick Zaccharie Risacher
The Hawks are going to enter the new season with a retooled roster around Young. For his part, the point guard shared his thoughts on Risacher and this year’s draft class in an episode of in an episode of Podcast P with Paul George, presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment.
“I spoke with him. A lot of people were talking about how I didn’t tweet about ’em or stuff on draft day and things like that. I’ve always done that and stuff, but I messaged him behind the scenes right before Summer League and just shot him some good luck. Just stuff like that and just stuff that people, I don’t even care for people to know, but obviously they’re going to know now. But, I talked to him a little bit behind the scenes.
We ain’t got to work out yet, but he played right before summer league too overseas…I mean to be honest with you, and no disrespect to the guys that got drafted, I mean from the outside looking in…a lot of us look at them as role players coming in anyway….I feel like the GMs all this year are probably just trying to figure out who’s going to be the best role player for their team.
As good as Alex Sarr is I don’t think he’s going to be their [Washington Wizards] franchise player going forward. You know what I’m saying? He’s going to be a great, great player, have a long NBA career, but just the outlook on any of these guys coming in. It wasn’t like they were going to be Luka [Doncic] type guys or Zions [Williamson] you know what I’m saying? Zions,” Young said.
Last season, Young played only 54 games after injuring his finger in February of this year. During that time, he averaged 25.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 10.8 assists. Unfortunately, the Hawks didn’t make the playoffs and had another disappointing finish to their campaign.
It remains to be seen whether Young is right about Risacher or not when the new season starts. In any case, a new roster around the point guard may reinvigorate their chances of making the playoffs next year.
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