The selections, which began arguably the most wide-open draft of the past decade, followed the San Antonio Spurs’ choice of French center Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 pick last year. Wembanyama and Risacher are the first players from the same country outside North America to be selected first in back-to-back drafts. Sarr stood up to offer Risacher a congratulatory handshake and a hug once NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced the first pick.
“It just shows the amount of talent we have in France,” Sarr said. “I’m excited for Zach. I was really happy for him. [Being picked second] is really special. Any pick you get picked, the team is taking a chance on me. I’m blessed for that. I won’t take it for granted. I’ll play with effort and impact winning.”
The Hawks selected first for the first time since 1975. Risacher, a 6-foot-9 scoring-minded forward who was honored as the French league’s top young prospect last season, averaged 10.1 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 35.2 percent on three-pointers for JL Bourg, which posted a 25-9 record.
“I’ve known Tidjane and Alex for a long time,” Risacher said. “We grew up playing against each other. That’s amazing for our country. That’s amazing for us, first of all. Just to be able to realize our dream together is special. I feel like French players are going to take some inspiration, and that’s going to be better and better for us.”
Atlanta finished 10th in the Eastern Conference with a 36-46 record but lost in the play-in tournament, prompting trade rumors around star guards Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. Risacher described himself as a “versatile player” who can “fit easily” into a Hawks roster that could be in transition.
“I can’t wait to figure out what is going to be my role or my goals,” Risacher said. “I don’t know yet, but I know that I can do a lot of things — defend multiple positions, grabbing some rebounds, finishing strong, being aggressive, shooting threes obviously.”
The Wizards made Sarr their highest pick since selecting John Wall with the No. 1 choice in 2010. Sarr, a versatile defender who stands 7-foot, averaged 9.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks for Perth, which had the NBL’s second-best record.
As Sarr was whisked through various media obligations, dressed in a cream suit with a matching Wizards hat, he met team owner Ted Leonsis for a brief meet-and-greet in a curtained hallway.
Sarr, whose globe-trotting basketball journey took him from Spain and the Overtime Elite developmental program in Atlanta before he landed in Australia, said he watched a lot of the Wizards’ games last season and enjoyed their style of play despite their 15-67 record.
“I’m really excited to be part of the Wizards,” Sarr said. “I really like the roster. We can be a good team next year. They played really fast. They’re one of the fastest teams. There’s a lot of versatile guys on the roster, like Bilal [Coulibaly], who can switch on everybody, or a lot of guys who can grab the rebound and push it. That’s the brand of basketball I like.”
While Sarr made headlines by declining to work out for the Hawks, he said Wednesday that his recent workout with the Wizards went well and that he enjoyed his first visit to Washington, which lasted three days. Wizards General Manager Will Dawkins took Sarr on a tour of the city’s landmarks, including the Washington Monument, the Capitol and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.
“My workout went well,” Sarr said. “It was tough. They make you go through it because they want to see how you’re going to react to everything. I did a great job. I shot the ball well, and now I’m here.”
The Houston Rockets selected Kentucky guard Reed Sheppard at No. 3, the San Antonio Spurs took Connecticut guard Stephon Castle at No. 4, and the Detroit Pistons rounded out the top five by adding G League Ignite forward Ron Holland.
The rest of the lottery played out like this: Salaün to the Charlotte Hornets at No. 6; Connecticut center Donovan Clingan to the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 7; Kentucky guard Rob Dillingham to the San Antonio Spurs at No. 8; Purdue center Zach Edey to the Memphis Grizzlies at No. 9; Colorado forward Cody Williams to the Utah Jazz at No. 10; G League Ignite forward Matas Buzelis to the Chicago Bulls at No. 11; Serbian guard Nikola Topic to the Oklahoma City Thunder at No. 12; Providence guard Devin Carter to the Sacramento Kings at No. 13; and Pittsburgh guard Bub Carrington to the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 14.
The Spurs reportedly will trade Dillingham to the Minnesota Timberwolves for future picks. The Wizards will acquire Carrington and guard Malcolm Brogdon from the Blazers for forward Deni Avdija.
Without a generational headliner such as Wembanyama to inspire buzz, this year’s draft was a lower-key affair. A few dozen reporters interviewed projected lottery picks at a midtown Manhattan hotel at media day Tuesday, and there were plenty of empty seats in the arena for Wednesday’s first round. On the eve of the draft, the Brooklyn Nets’ agreement to trade forward Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks overshadowed the annual festivities.
For the first time, the NBA chose to split its two-round draft across two days, with the made-for-television second round unfolding Thursday afternoon at an ESPN facility near the Brooklyn Bridge. To avoid a conflict with the scheduled debate between President Biden and former president Donald Trump, the second-round draft broadcast was moved up to 4 p.m.
Silver opened Wednesday’s proceedings by saluting Hall of Famers Jerry West and Bill Walton, who both died over the past month, and acknowledging the Boston Celtics for winning their first championship since 2008. The crowd booed loudly whenever the Celtics were mentioned and cheered when Bronny James, the draft-eligible son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, was shown on the big screen. The younger James was not selected in the opening round.
Christine Lake is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. With an extensive background in sports journalism, he covers everything from major league championships to grassroots sports events. When she’s not on the field or at the stadium, you’ll find Christine coaching youth sports teams.
