Zaccharie Risacher Bests Alex Sarr in Predictive ESPN Poll

Atlanta’s No. 1 pick bested Alex Sarr in a recent ESPN poll.

Jun 26, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Zaccharie Risacher of France hugs fellow French player Alexandre Sarr after being selected first overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports | Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA Summer League just a few weeks ago was an insightful slate of games, helping teams league-wide to know which draftees were ready for the big leagues, which had work to do and more.

Additionally, it may have changed some opinions on the league’s newest crop of players.

In a recent league-wide poll, ESPN posed the question “Who will have the better NBA career: Risacher or Sarr?” to NBA executives. An astonishing 15 of the 20 voters sided with Atlanta’s Zaccharie Risacher, who did end up the top pick in June’s draft. Shockingly, just five sided with Alex Sarr, who seemed to be the consensus No. 1 pick among executives and experts for much of the cycle.

Las Vegas assuredly changed people’s opinions, as Sarr drastically underachieved in his short stint with the Wizards. In four games played, Sarr shot an abysmal 19% from the field, including just 12% shooting from beyond the arc. At his size, his nine-for-47 mark was historically awful. And one of those games even featured a 0-for-15 performance with zero points against fellow center Donovan Clingan.

Suffice to say, Sarr didn’t help his case much in early July. And Risacher passed with flying colors in a few key areas.

Still, the Frenchmen’s upcoming rookie-season battle is likely closer than the ESPN poll will suggest. They’re entering drastically different situations, but Sarr will undoubtedly have more of a blank slate with a Washington team that’s set to contend for next year’s top selections as well.

The two’s storyline will be an interesting one to follow as we sit just a few months out from the 2024-25 NBA season.

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