2024 NBA Redraft: Did Atlanta make a Big Mistake With The No. 1 Overall Pick?

The Hawks had the No. 1 pick, but Zaccharie Risacher has had some alarming struggles in his first two seasons

Feb 7, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) shoots in the first half against the Dallas Mavericks at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

The NBA is at a stand still right now with the All-Star break and last night was the first part of All-Star weekend. The rising stars challenge occured on Friday night and while the game is supposed to showcase the NBA's best young talent, but it can also make one think back on a certain draft and wonder if their team made the right decision.

Atlanta shot up and won the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery unexpectedly and selected French forward Zaccharie Risacher. Risacher was the runner up for the Rookie of the Year award last season, but his progress has seemingly stalled in year two. His numbers have not changed much, but with some of the other players selected around him performing at a higher rate, it is fair to wonder (even if prematurely) if the Hawks made the right call.

Recent redraft

Feb 7, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) shoots against the Charlotte Hornets in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

In a recent 2024 NBA Redraft, Bleacher report's Zach Buckley had the Hawks going in a different direction and selecting Stephon Castle with the No. 1 overall pick:

Original Pick: Zaccharie Risacher

Stephon Castle's Original Draft Position: No. 4

"Castle was the runaway Rookie of the Year winner last season, and he has arguably strengthened his position atop the draft class this time around (albeit with a furious push from the No. 2 redrafted pick).

His three-point shot still hasn't come around, but basically everything else is working. He's a strong, active, shape-shifting defender, a cunning creator (never an easy role to master in a multi-creator offense) and a ferocious finisher.

Again, save for the shot, everything feels like it's where it should be: a high-teens scoring average as a non-featured option, a better than 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, a smattering of defensive playmaking and a good amount of charity-stripe visits for, again, his tertiary scoring role."

One of the problems with Risacher is that he has not found a way to make his mark on every game yet with a certain skill. He is an average three point shooter and rebounder, not much of a playmaker, and does not have a vast offensive skillset. When he was taken by the Hawks in the draft, the thought was that his floor was very high and that he could at least become a high-level starter, but that has not materialzed yet.

This is not to say that he can't become a better player and he may have just hit a sophomore slump. It is too early to begin to draw conclusions on his career just yet, but with other players in his class performing well, that is not going to make things easier for him.