Widely viewed as one of the weaker draft classes in recent memory, there is no Victor Wembanyama type prospect to be found in the 2024 NBA draft. But while this year’s pool of potential NBA talent doesn’t seem to offer a Wembanyama-level prospect—a rather modest claim considering the 7’4” Frenchman was easily the most hyped prospect since LeBron James—there are surely still a handful of up-and-coming young players who offer a significant amount of promise and upside. An example of one of these young players showing significant signs of promise and upside, is Zaccharie Risacher.
Zaccharie Risacher is a 19 year old 6’10” wing, who currently plays for JL Bourg in France. Having literally just turned 19—a day before this writing—Risacher is one the youngest prospects who will be drafted this year, and because of this, he is potentially one of the prospects harboring the most untapped potential. In addition to Risacher’s intriguing youth, he offers an impressively vast set of skills including, 3pt shooting, elite defensive instincts, and eye-popping playmaking. With a unique and still developing skill set, there’s a decent chance that Risacher could be in play for the number one overall pick—with the fifth pick currently looking like his draft floor.
Its easy to buy into Zaccharie Risacher’s long term potential as an NBA pro because of the way he projects to fit into just about any lineup. If your looking for someone who can playmake, Risacher can do that, if your looking for someone who can defend the other teams best player, Risacher can do that, if your looking for someone who can space the floor, Risacher can do that—despite his shooting splits falling off towards the end of his season, I’m buying into his shooting mechanics and overall confidance. When projecting who might be picking in the top five when the Draft comes around in June, were talking about teams like San Antonio, Charlotte, Detroit, Portland, and Washington. Every one of thoes teams, except Washington, already has a player on their roster who they ideally envision as their alpha, because of that they should be on the lookout for a player who offers a complimentary skill set, with star level upside. Risacher offers just that, and for the right team, he could develope into some sort of a Robin, similar to Jalen Williams in OKC, Khris Middleton in Milwaukee.
With a 3 and D profile looking eerily similar to that of Harrison Barnes, and a international flair for playmaking resembling that of Deni Avdija, it’s not hard to see why many teams with high lottery picks are excited about Risacher’s potential. While he doesn’t currently profile as a player capable of altering the entire course of a franchise, he does however look—at the very least—like a high end role player or long time starter capable of contributing to winning at the highest level. That kind of player is crucial for any team that intends to remain in championship contention for years on end. Ask anyone around the association and they’ll tell you high level 3 and D wings are perhaps the most sought after commodities in the league. For teams whos main goal is to be competing at the highest level deep into April, May, and June, Zaccharie Risacher may be that next highly sought after commodity.
Credit – IG
