Clay’s Court: The Atlanta Hawks have another controversial draft

I’ve been an Atlanta Hawks fan for almost a decade now, and somehow it was more fun being a fan when we were winning 23 games and going down 20 by the end of the first quarter than it has been the last few years.

I guess that’s because expectations have reversed themselves, and we’ve had nothing but disappointment after 2021.

That being said, I will still charge into this next season with a blind optimism like I do every year. So let’s talk about the new additions the Hawks made in the draft this year.

If you’ve been living under a rock, the Hawks won the draft lottery for only the second time in their history this year. At number one overall in the 2024 NBA draft they selected Zaccharie Risacher, a forward out of France. They also essentially traded A.J. Griffen to move up a spot (and to shed salary I assume) to pick 43 to select Nikola Djurišić, a forward out of Serbia.

Based off of social media reactions (which you can take with the most minute grain of salt) these picks were extremely unpopular. The general consensus was that Hawks fans wanted Alex Sarr, another big man out of France who’s known for his defensive prowess and athleticism.

Reports surfaced that Sarr’s agent didn’t want him in Atlanta, and he refused a workout with the Hawks before the draft.

Whether or not that actually influenced the decision to take Risacher, who knows. But I have a pretty good hunch the Hawks’ front office wanted Risacher anyways.

Risacher is a young, 6-foot-8 wing who’s biggest strengths are shooting and off-ball movement/scoring with a lot of defensive upside.

During his time at JL Bourg he was used mostly for spot shooting and off-ball cutting. He had a knack for knowing where to be and where to go, and finished lobs above the rim at an exciting clip (for me, a John Collins lover).

He’s very agile, which helps him in transition as well as driving to the basket.

He doesn’t flash much creation ability except for attacking closeouts and simple straight line drives, but he’s freshly 19 so we’ll see where he can grow from there.

According to scouting reports, his defensive upside is really something to be excited for. As I mentioned he’s extremely agile and has a lengthy frame. He can wiggle through screens to stick to his assignment, and he harassed positions 1-3 comfortably.

Obviously I do have more digging to do, and him being 200ish pounds probably means he’ll struggle guarding the bigger, more physical forwards in the NBA, but he should be able to stick with the majority of guards he faces.

He’s no defensive stopper, but he is a good team defender and will probably end up the Hawks’ best defender right away.

He does flash some very exciting abilities, but he’s not without downsides and questions marks.

One of the biggest question marks with Risacher, at least to me, is how good the shooting actually is. He’s marketed as an elite catch-and-shoot and movement shooter. Through 63 games he shot 38.5% from three on 3.6 attempts. 38.5% is a good bit higher than the 36.6% league average, but the lack of attempts is what raises a red flag to me.

I fully understand the European game is different, but in the NBA 3.6 attempts was the 71st most during the 2023-24 season. Not to mention his poor free throw shooting, too. Usually free throw shooting is a good indicator of how good a shooter someone can be, and 70% from the line on 2.7 attempts isn’t a great sign.

He also started out the season (first 26 games) shooting a blazing 46.9% from three, but for the last 37 games he dipped significantly to 33.8% which is closer to his season average the previous year (34%).

The only other big problem people see with Risacher is the fact that he has no creation abilities. Considering he’s the number one pick I’m sure you’d like to see something out of him, but through the little bit of film I watched he is able to make the right passes a lot of the time.

His pairing with Jalen Johnson and Trae Young is something I’m very excited about regardless. Johnson and Risacher on the fast break with Young in tow should be guaranteed points. Not to mention the potential short roll opportunities for Johnson to Risacher lobs — something I haven’t had my fix of since John Collins was traded away.

I am very interested to see how he performs in summer league next week, and we’ll all definitely be keeping a watchful eye on him.

Obviously Risacher is the biggest name, and for many the only one worth paying attention to, but I’ll talk a little about the Hawks’ flier with the 43rd pick.

Nikola Djurišić is a 6-foot-8, 20-year-old forward who’s known for letting it rip from three-point range and making some crafty passes.

He did only shoot 33% from three on 3.7 attempts, but in the small amount of film I watched I think I only saw him take one “easy,” open three. He made fadeaways, dribble pull-up and movement threes and didn’t look hesitant on any of them.

He also showed some really solid finishing around the rim, but I’m not sure he’ll continue that with bigger, more athletic rim protection in the NBA.

As I mentioned, he also showed some really solid passing, which I assume is one of the reasons the Hawks took him. He never looked panicked making decisions, and made some real nice passes around the rim or on some tight windows on kickouts.

I didn’t see much on his defense, and I assume it’s not anything special considering his draft position. I saw a couple of blocks off the backboard, but I wouldn’t expect that to be routine.

Overall I’m pretty happy with the Hawks’ draft. The pairing of Johnson and Risacher in the front court is very exciting even if we’re uncertain Risacher will fulfill first overall pick expectations.

Djurišić is wait-and-see as most second round picks are, but I’m more excited about this season than I have been in a while.