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Risacher leapfrogged fellow France youth international Alex Sarr, who was projected to go No. 1 overall in Givony and Woo’s last mock and now sits at No. 2. Here’s their updated top 10:
- Washington Wizards: Zaccharie Risacher, SF, JL Bourg
- Detroit Pistons: Alex Sarr, PF/C, Perth Wildcats
- San Antonio Spurs: Rob Dillingham, PG, Kentucky
- Charlotte Hornets: Matas Buzelis, SF, G League Ignite
- Portland Trail Blazers: Cody Williams, SF, Colorado
- Toronto Raptors: Nikola Topić, PG, KK Mega Basket
- Memphis Grizzles: Ja’Kobe Walter, SG, Baylor
- Houston Rockets (via Nets): Tidjane Salaun, PF, Cholet Basket
- Oklahoma City Thunder (via Rockets): Kyle Filipowski, PF/C, Duke
- Atlanta Hawks: Ron Holland, SF, G League Ignite
Risacher is averaging 10.1 points and 3.4 rebounds through 21 games for JL Bourg in the French league. He has also put up 13.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per contest in the EuroCup.
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman had the 6’8″ forward second in his latest mock draft after the NBA trade deadline passed.
“His positional size/athleticism, production, efficiency and particular skill set paint Risacher as a safe pick,” Wasserman wrote. “There will, ultimately, be some guesswork as to how much he’s able to develop as a creator on the ball, although 2022-23 tape from France’s U21 league highlights more ball-handling and passing.”
During All-Star Weekend, commissioner Adam Silver raised some questions about the league’s NBA G League Ignite project moving forward.
Woo examined the topic with some depth and pointed to how the steady decline in the draft stocks for Matas Buzelis, Ron Holland and Izan Almansa is a clear issue. Buzelis and Holland in particular were once considered possibilities to go first overall, and now there may be no guarantees either lands in the top five.
That’s a clear concern when the Ignite are supposed to be a finishing school of sorts.
“The sheer number of prospects on the team has made it difficult to find optional roles and minutes for everyone,” Woo wrote of the 2-19 Ingite. “The lack of quality guard play has made it difficult to highlight the right players consistently. It’s generally easier to overlook the win-loss factor when player development is the overhead reason for the Ignite’s existence, but the challenging season the team has faced would seem to have called a lot of things into question.”
One player yet again absent in ESPN’s mock is USC’s Bronny James.
The freshman guard was unable to make his collegiate debut until mid-December after suffering cardiac arrest during an offseason workout, and the Trojans’ dreadful performances in Pac-12 play have done little to aid in his transition process.
James is averaging 5.7 points and 2.6 assists and shooting just 27.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Around this time last year, you would’ve bet the house James would be a one-and-done. He was garnering some first-round buzz and building an identity on the court separate from simply being the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
Now, it might be in the 19-year-old’s best interest to stay in college for another year to rebuild his stock.
