The Hawks are about 12 hours away from making the No. 1 overall pick, but according to Adrian Wojnarowski, the club is still undecided as of last night, the NBA insider said on SportsCenter.
Woj reporting that the Hawks have Zaccharie Risacher high on their board at No. 1 but still undecided who they’ll select on draft night. #TrueToAtlanta pic.twitter.com/WKeP4LDQHU
— Hawks Lead (@HawksLead) June 26, 2024
Woj did mention that Zaccharie Risacher is high on Atlanta’s draft board, and it seems that all signs are pointing towards the French wing being the No. 1 pick. Most prominent pundits’ mock drafts have the Hawks drafting Risacher, and he’s currently the betting favorite among gambling outlets.
The Hawks find themselves between a rock and a hard place in a draft cycle that doesn’t have an obvious top prospect. I assume Landry Fields would like to trade down and recoup some assets while improving value, but that opportunity may not present itself.
Risacher could end up being the pick, and in an NBA where versatile wings are all the rage, it makes a lot of sense. We just watched the Celtics win the NBA Championship with a slew of talented wings and the Knicks send five first-round picks to the Nets for Mikal Bridges.
The Hawks already have a couple of talented, versatile wings in Jalen Johnson and De’Andre Hunter, but much like pitching in the MLB or corners in the NFL, you can never have enough 3-and-D-esque wings in the NBA, especially for a team built around Trae Young.
Ice Trae is an offensive engine by himself, but he’s an otherwise liability on the defensive end. There’s no reason the Hawks should be going after offensive-centric players in the draft, free agency, or on the trade market.
Build the roster the right way. That may begin with Risacher tonight.
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