2024 NBA Draft: No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher ranks as second-worst top pick of last 20 years

Ranking each No. 1 overall selection since the 2005 draft and slotting Zaccharie Risacher among the top 20

By Travis Branham Jun 26, 2024 at 9:39 am ET• 6 min read

The Atlanta Hawks have selected Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, making him the second consecutive French player to go No. 1 after Victor Wembanyama did so a year ago.

Risacher looks the part of a do-it-all wing, perhaps the single most important archetype in the modern NBA. He has good defensive tools, can handle the ball and has, at times, flashed an impressive jumper. He is streaky on that front, and his NBA future may very well be dictated by how much that shot develops, but he brings a little bit of everything to the table as a 19-year-old. If he grows into the sort of player the Hawks think he can be, then he has a chance to be the kind of wing that fits onto any roster regardless of who else it has. 

That said, his profile does not fit the usual sure thing of a No. 1 overall pick. Risacher slots at the very low end of No. 1 overall picks in the past 20 drafts, ranked through the prism of how we regarded them as prospects back then. 

1. Victor Wembanyama (2023, Spurs)

Standing 7-foot-3 with an 8-foot wingspan, Victor Wembanyama was touted as the best prospect since LeBron James. His rim protection, defensive versatility and unique skillset were considered to be generational, making for a transcendent talent.