Hawks’ Risacher enters play-in as the last man standing from French players to top last 2 NBA drafts

Atlanta Hawks rookie Zaccharie Risacher is the lone survivor of the influx of French players who have dominated the top of the last two NBA drafts.

Risacher and the Hawks will play at Orlando on Tuesday night in the NBA play-in tournament. Risacher was still a teen when he became the second straight French player to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft, following San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama in the 2023 draft.

Another French player, Alex Sarr, was the No. 2 overall pick by the Washington Wizards in last year’s draft, adding an exclamation point to the impact of the French influence on the league. Washington finished last in the Eastern Conference.

San Antonio also missed the postseason, finishing 13th in the West, so Wembanyama’s season would be over even if he had not been diagnosed with a season-ending right shoulder ailment in February.

Wembanyama was enjoying another big season after winning NBA rookie of the year in a unanimous vote last season. The Hawks are pushing Risacher to be recognized as the league’s top rookie this year, though San Antonio’s Stephon Castle is the favorite for the award at the BetMGM Sportsbook. Risacher and Sarr could finish in the top three of the voting.

Risacher, who celebrated his 20th birthday on April 8, endured inconsistencies that could be expected of any young player. He finished strong, winning rookie of the month honors in February and March while helping the Hawks overcome the loss of another rising star, Jalen Johnson, to season-ending shoulder surgery in late January.

“As far his work ethic, his passion, his competitiveness, he’s got an approach to the game that’s reflective of his character and not of his age,” coach Quin Snyder said of Risacher after Sunday’s 117-105 win over Orlando to close the regular season. “I think because of that we’ve just seen steady progress throughout the course of the year.”

Risacher (6-foot-9, 215 pounds) started 73 games and averaged 12.6 points and 3.6 rebounds and finished second on the team, behind top scorer Trae Young, with 122 3-pointers.

“I feel like I was just lucky to be on the court every single night and be able to learn, be able to make mistakes,” Risacher said. “I feel like that’s why I’m not the same player I was when I got here, just because I was able to be on the floor and make mistakes and learn from my teammates.”

Risacher topped NBA rookies by scoring more than 30 points in three games, including two in the final nine games of the regular season. He scored a season-high 38 points in a 133-109 win at Brooklyn on Thursday night.

Risacher’s 35.5% shooting on 3-pointers supported the catch-and-shoot potential which helped make him the top pick, and his quickness and athleticism enable him to create shots.

“Zach is very, very aggressive and he’s very smart,” Young said. “I mean, there’s a lot of guys that are tall and athletic and skilled, but there’s not a lot that have all three combined with smartness. And he has all three. He’s just very young right now and he’s kind of light.”

Young said Risacher has “the brightest future of any rookie that I’ve seen this year. … He’s rookie of the year, I think.”

The 7-foot Sarr, 19, averaged 13 points and 6.5 rebounds. He became the third rookie in NBA history to record at least 100 blocks, 100 assists and make at least 100 3-pointers. The others were Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren last season.

Washington coach Brian Keefe said Sarr improved through his rookie season.

“You can see him attacking more and more, and he’s getting more comfortable with that,” Keefe said. “You can see some of the finishing is improving, see some of his left-hand finishing improving. Want him to be aggressive. That’s the most important thing. Get aggressive, attack the rim. That’s what we’ve wanted him to do, and he’s showing some growth there here at the end of the year.”

Keefe said Sarr has “gotten better month to month, week to week, game to game.”

Among other players from France still playing, Minnesota center Rudy Gobert is in his 12th season. Another veteran, Nicolas Batum, plays for the Los Angeles Clippers. Detroit’s Killian Hayes was born in the United States and raised in France.

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AP Sports Writer Noah Trister contributed to this report.

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