The French invasion of the NBA continues.
On Wednesday evening, Frenchmen have been chosen at No. 1 and No. 2 in professional basketball’s annual beginner draft, with the Atlanta Hawks taking JL Bourg ahead Zaccharie Risacher No. 1 and the Washington Wizards choosing Perth 7-footer Alex Sarr.
Risacher, 19, of Lyon, France, actually adopted within the footsteps of Parisian sensation Victor Wembanyama by having NBA commissioner Adam Silver name his title at first of the draft in New York. Sarr, additionally 19, of Toulouse was proper behind him.
Past their shared nationality, nonetheless, Risacher and Sarr’s path to the draft stage in Brooklyn was nearly nothing like the trail Wembanyama blazed final summer season in going first to San Antonio.
C’est la France frère 🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷
— Wemby (@wemby) June 27, 2024
Whereas Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4, never-seen-anything-like-him budding celebrity was the presumptive high choose for months main as much as the 2023 draft, there was no consensus No. 1 prospect this 12 months. As late as this week, NBA scouts and league executives have been not sure about who the Hawks would select. Atlanta chosen Risacher from a muddled high tier that included Sarr, Connecticut heart Donovan Clingan and wing Stephon Fortress, and Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard.
Rounding out the highest 5 of the 2024 draft, the Houston Rockets chosen Sheppard third; Fortress went fourth to the San Antonio Spurs (the place he’ll pair with Wembanyama), and the Detroit Pistons chosen G League Ignite ahead Ron Holland fifth.
Risacher is a 6-foot-9 ahead who averaged practically 11 factors and 4 rebounds taking part in in France’s high professional league final season. He’s a stout defender who shot practically 39 p.c from 3-point vary.
Risacher involves an Atlanta franchise through which the largest star — Trae Younger — may very well be on the buying and selling block, however the place there may be room for Risacher to compete for taking part in time on the wing. Whereas 6-foot-8 ahead Jalen Johnson averaged 16 factors and eight.7 rebounds final season and is just 22, Sadiq Bey is a restricted free agent coming off a torn knee ligament, and the Hawks are in search of to commerce De’Andre Hunter. Atlanta completed 36-46 and in tenth within the East, and have been bounced out of the Play-In match within the first spherical.
Risacher was born in Malaga, Spain, however grew up in Lyon, France, and his father was a French Olympian and silver medalist in basketball in 2000. Risacher was a member of France’s U19 World Cup championship group final summer season and performed for JL Bourg final season. His group performed in France’s high professional league, and a second division of groups competing all throughout Europe.
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GO DEEPER
2024 NBA Draft Information: Tiers, remaining rankings and Huge Board
Sarr, in the meantime, averaged 9.4 factors and 4.3 rebounds per recreation in Australia’s high professional league final season. He was the primary worldwide prospect to play for Time beyond regulation Elite within the U.S. His brother performed for the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder final season on a two-way contract, and his father performed professionally in Senegal. Sarr got here off the bench for the Perth Wildcats in Australia’s professional league final season and averaged 1.5 blocks per recreation whereas capturing practically 52 p.c from the sector.
Sarr is predicted to be a key piece of the Wizards’ intensive rebuild. Earlier than the draft Wednesday, Washington traded Deni Avdija to Portland for Malcolm Brogdon, and, maybe extra importantly, the 14th choose within the 2024 draft.
For the primary time, the NBA Draft is being held over two nights, with Spherical 1 scheduled for Wednesday on the Barclays Heart and Spherical 2 on Thursday. Whereas most draft specialists think about this 12 months’s class to be weak on the high, in addition they say the depth of the category is extra on par with earlier drafts. Among the many largest draft storylines set to unfold is the standing of Lakers star LeBron James’ son, Bronny, who’s within the draft after only one season at USC.
Who takes the 19-year-old Bronny, and through which spherical, will spark monumental curiosity and certain encourage chatter about the place his dad — arguably the best participant ever and the NBA’s all-time scoring champ — goes as a free agent this summer season.
If the youthful James is drafted and makes an NBA roster, he and his father would turn into the primary father-son duo to play within the league on the identical time.
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(Photograph of Zaccharie Risacher: Timothy A. Clary / AFP by way of Getty Photos)