Potential No. 1 Pick For The Atlanta Hawks Receives Player Comp to Milwaukee Bucks All-Star

The Atlanta Hawks own the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, but there is still not a true sense of which player they are favoring toward selecting. There does seem to be a consensus that they will take one of either Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Rishacher, or Donovan Clingan at the top, but no one has truly emerged from that group, at least not yet.

The player who probably does have the most momentum in terms of being discussed with the No. 1 pick is French wing Zaccharie Risacher. Risacher has been mocked to the Hawks with the No. 1 pick in the last two mock drafts from ESPN and Bleacher Report and it does appear that the Hawks are fans of Risacher. He has performed well for his team in the playoffs over the past couple of weeks and is a prototypical 3-and-D wing player. Risacher has been given a lot of comparisons, but the latest one from ESPN's Jeremy Woo should be particularly interesting to Hawks fans:

High end: Khris Middleton with more defense

Low end: Trey Murphy III

"Risacher brings a lot to the court as an athletic, 3-and-D wing with room to expand his game on both ends. While not likely to become a No. 1 option on offense, as he gets more comfortable playing off multiple dribbles and develops as a shooter, it's easy to see him becoming a viable wing scorer a la Middleton, who has had an outstanding run in Milwaukee, including a title in 2021.

Risacher should also offer more defensively, where he has plus-lateral agility and should be switchable. There's a high level of two-way upside here if one can get past the limited shot-creation ability. Floor-wise, provided Risacher continues to improve as a shooter, you can envision him functioning like Murphy currently does for New Orleans: bringing excellent size and athleticism coupled with quality floor-spacing and defense, but without creating a ton of offense for himself or taking many dribbles."

If the Hawks take Risacher and he turns out to be a Khris Middleton with better defense, Atlanta has likely taken an All-NBA level player that would be the perfect complement to Trae Young. If that is the true ceiling for Risacher, he should certainly be in the mix for the Hawks with the No. 1 pick.

That hypothetical floor for Risacher is interesting too. Trey Murphy III has developed into a really good player for the New Orleans Pelicans and he is a very good defender and a sniper from three. The debate would be if he turns out to be just like Murphy, is he worth the No. 1 overall pick? I would argue no. Murphy is a really good player but is likely only the third or fourth-best player on a championship team. That is not a bad thing, but ceiling has to be taken into consideration when making a selection with the No. 1 pick.

It has been said by a number of draft analysts, that Risacher is a prospect that is has a limited ceiling, but a high floor and he also plays a position of need. Risacher is a 6'8, 204 LBS wing player who would also fill a big need for Atlanta. He has two-way versatility and has performed well since the lottery. He is a plug-and-play type of forward that would fit on the Hawks as either their starting 2 or 3. He is not an elite defender or offensive player, but he is solid enough at both and he is coming off of a really good offensive season. He does not need the ball in his hands to be an effective offensive player either, as his three-point numbers show. He will have to show this is sustainable, but he could be a real offensive threat next to Young and Johnson. Risacher could end up developing into a really good fit with Young and Johnson. He needs to show a wider array of skills on offense though and needs to drive and finish at the rim better. I think he would be the most seamless fit on the Hawks, even if I don't love his overall ceiling.

Risacher has been mocked to go No. 1 in the last two mock drafts from Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman and for the first time since the lottery, ESPN's Jonathan Givony has Risacher going to Atlanta in his latest mock draft that was released this week:

"The intel out of the Hawks continues to indicate that their front office is at an early stage in its decision-making process and there likely won't be clarity on which way the team is leaning with this pick until closer to draft night. It's unclear how much of an appetite ownership has for entering a rebuilding mode, and that might be difficult to avoid depending on what the team does in regard to the futures of stars Trae Young and Dejounte Murray,

Trading this pick for more immediate contributors or moving down to take multiple swings in this relatively flat lottery class are options. Take for example a scenario in which San Antonio would trade the No. 4 and No. 8 selections for the right to move up and draft Risacher.

Should Atlanta stand pat at No. 1, Risacher is looking like an increasingly attractive option. His season came to a close with Bourg's semifinal loss to No. 1 seed Monaco, capping off a playoff run in which he averaged 15.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, shooting 67% from the field and 38% on 3-pointers; all outstanding numbers for a 19-year-old at this level of competition. His next stop is the NBA Global Camp in Treviso, Italy, where he'll have a medical examination and undergo draft combine activity including interviews with interested teams.

Every team in the top five has significant interest in Risacher, and it is looking highly unlikely, barring a major surprise, that he'll drop out of the top two."

Here is what Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman had to say last week about the possibility of Risacher going No.1 to Atlanta:

"Every Zaccharie Risacher playoff possession right now is likely monitored under the microscope of the Atlanta Hawks and other lottery teams. And he just delivered consecutive standout performances with a combined 39 points and five threes against AS Monaco.

He's still scoring on mostly the same shot diet and effective one-two punch of off-ball shotmaking and athleticism in transition. It hints at a very translatable, plug-and-play game, particularly for a lineup like Atlanta's that already has two creators in Trae Young and Dejounte Murray.

Alex Sarr may offer more theoretical upside with his defensive versatility and face-up flashes at 7'1". Donovan Clingan could come off as more of an impact presence with his rim protection.

While scouts continue to debate the height of Risacher's ceiling, there is also a perceived level of certainty tied to his positional size, shooting and defensive tools/quickness. In a draft where there isn't an obvious, sure-thing All-Star at the top, Risacher's floor and valued three-and-D archetype could give him an edge with a team that saw AJ Griffin struggle with injuries and Saddiq Bey go down late to an ACL tear."

Risacher is one of the most interesting prospects in the draft and he seems to be right in the thick of the hunt to be selected No. 1 overall. The Hawks front office has a crucial decision to make ahead of the draft and to be sure they select the right player for this team.