For the second year in a row, the French star was selected first overall in the draft.
The Atlanta Hawks selected Zachary Lisacher with the first pick in the NBA Draft on Wednesday night. Lisacher, a 6-foot-8 winger who played in the French league last season with JL Bour, is arguably one of the most promising prospects in this year’s class and was the Hawks’ top target prior to the draft.
This marks just the fourth time in the modern draft era that the first pick has been an overseas player: The San Antonio Spurs selected Victor Wenbanyama with the first overall pick last summer. The Toronto Raptors selected Italian Andrea Bargnani with their first pick in 2006, and the Houston Rockets selected Chinese star Yao Ming with their first overall pick in 2002.
Lithatcher didn’t garner the same amount of attention heading into the draft as Wembanyama, but he’s still a player with great potential to help the Hawks build their team around for years to come.
The 19-year-old Lizacher averaged 11.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game for JL Bour last season, leading the team to the semi-finals of the LBN Pro A playoffs. In the playoff against Nanterre, he had an impressive 28 points, including five three-pointers, which was his best game of the season. Lizacher led Bour to the semi-finals of the playoffs, but lost to eventual league champion Monaco. Lizacher also played for France’s U-16, U-17 and U-19 teams, but will not be representing France at the Paris Olympics later this summer.
The Hawks have targeted both Lisacher and University of Connecticut star Donovan Clingan in recent weeks. Alex Sarr, another French player who played in Australia last season, actually refused to train with the Hawks. Sarr has long been projected to be the No. 1 overall pick, but Lisacher has surpassed Sarr in most mock drafts over the past few days, and it’s easy to see why.
Lisacher is a very safe pick in this draft class both for his potential and the fact that his game seems very NBA-friendly, especially considering he played over 50 games in the French league last season as a teenager.
“I would say the fact that I was on a professional team with a role,” he said Tuesday when asked why he thinks he stands out among draft candidates. Via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution“And I was looked at as part of a championship team, not as a guy who needed playing time because of his NBA prospect or status. Well, the year-round professional experience, the people, the big names made me realize that I could achieve something great as a player, as a team and the fact that I was training every day during the season. I think when you put in the effort, you quickly gain confidence and usually you don’t worry.”
Even if Wembanyama doesn’t become the generational talent that many are expecting, Lisacher’s chemistry with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray should allow him to make an immediate impact in Atlanta.
