French players fancied to go No. 1 in 2024 NBA Draft

NEW JERSEY – After last year’s No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama lived up to the hype, French prospects’ stocks rose. 

Two young French stars — 6-foot-9 Zaccharie Risacher and 7-footer Alex Sarr — are candidates to go No. 1 in this year’s NBA Draft scheduled on June 26-27 (June 27-28 Manila time) in New York. 

The 7-foot-2 Donovan Clingan of the back-to-back NCAA champion University of Connecticut has an outside shot at becoming the top pick, according to ESPN, due to his impressive workout with the Atlanta Hawks. 

But Risacher’s two-way skillset as a potential 3-and-D wing has made him the consensus No. 1 pick in the Mock Drafts from major US news outlets such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, The Ringer, CBS and Yahoo Sports. 

"I think we're really excited by the draft," Hawks general manager Landry Fields told reporters Monday (Tuesday Manila time). "And the more that we uncover, like we go, great, I'm glad we have No. 1. I keep joking around like I'm not giving it back. So, I think we're in a really good position here. I'm excited about it, frankly."

According to ESPN, the Hawks have yet to secure an individual workout for Sarr, who played for the Perth Wildcats in the NBL in Australia last season. Meanwhile, Risacher, who played in the French pro league, visited Atlanta on Wednesday (Thursday Manila time). 

The presence of centers Clint Capela and Onyeka Okungwu also makes Risacher the best fit for the Hawks. Unless Capela, who is on an expiring contract, is traded. 

The Hawks have a lot of decisions to make this offseason, including the future of their Trae Young-Dejounte Murray backcourt. 

"We as a group looked at a ton of different scenarios," Fields said. "Like if you keep the pick, you try to get back into the draft. ... With where we are right now, we'll pick one. ... We're planning on picking one."

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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for the New York-based website Heavy.com.