LAS VEGAS-- The Atlanta Hawks, and hopefully Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, are set to face off against the Chicago Bulls on Friday night on NBA TV. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. Eastern at Thomas & Mack Center.
Those who have cut the cord on cable can catch the game for free by utilizing streaming alternatives like Fubo or DirecTV Stream, which both offer free trials. You can also try Sling, which offers pricing promotions for new customers.
Zaccharie Risacher and Dylan Windler’s statuses are still unknown for Friday’s contest. Risacher did not play against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday due to a right quad contusion.
The Hawks will be without Kobe Bufkin and Nikola Durisic. Mouhamed Gueye’s condition is also unclear after his injury on Wednesday, adding another layer of uncertainty for Atlanta. Keaton Wallace is set to take over point guard duties for the Hawks with Bufkin and Durisic sidelined.
If Risacher plays, his potential matchup against Matas Buzelis, the No. 11 pick in this year’s draft, will be the first matchup for the two top prospects.
Here’s more details on how you can watch:
- What: Atlanta Hawks vs. Chicago Bulls, NBA Summer League
- When: Friday, July 19, 2024
- Time: 6 p.m. Eastern
- Where: Thomas & Mack Center | Las Vegas, Nevada
- Channel: NBA TV
- Best Streaming Options: Fubo (free trial), DirecTV Stream (free trial), Sling (pricing promos)
- Channel finder if you have cable: You can access the channel by using the channel finders online: Verizon Fios, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV and Dish.
Here is more background on the No. 1 overall pick’s mindset heading into his first NBA season from the Associated Press:
Zaccharie Risacher says he’s not worried about the expectations that accompany being the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft — even if that also includes the daunting task of following fellow French star Victor Wembanyama.
“I feel like there is no pressure,” Risacher said Friday in his introductory news conference in Atlanta. “I just focus on the good stuff, you know, on the right stuff, which is playing here. I’m just excited to be with the Hawks right now, and I want to compete and win games. So that’s all.”
Wembanyama was last year’s No. 1 overall pick by San Antonio and was a unanimous selection for NBA rookie of the year.
“If I had to give him one advice to him, it would be to just be yourself, don’t change for anything, don’t let the pressure change you, don’t let fame, money whatever,” Wembanyama said Thursday in Paris. “But I know Zacch, he’s got it.”
Risacher said he hasn’t received pointers from Wembanyama. When asked if he learned anything from watching Wembanyama’s rookie season, Risacher said his best lessons came from following Wembanyama’s exploits as a professional in France. Risacher followed that path by playing for the same French club, JL Bourg, in 2023-24.
“That was great,” Risacher said. “You know, for myself, for a younger dude like me to see just him growing so fast and, like, I guess, dominated the France championship. That’s what I wanted to do when I came to Bourg.”
The 6-foot-9 Risacher (pronounced Ree-zah-shay) became only the second overall No. 1 pick in Atlanta history, following David Thompson, who in 1975 chose to play for the ABA’s Denver Nuggets.
The pressure that goes with the No. 1 pick doesn’t just fall on Risacher, who at 19 will be expected to play a significant role immediately. General manager Landry Fields also will be scrutinized after he helped to carve out minutes for the rookie by trading AJ Griffin to Houston on Thursday. The Hawks ended up acquiring rights to guard/forward Nikola Djurisic of Serbia as part of that deal.
Risacher, who impressed the Hawks with his catch-and-shoot skills and ability to defend multiple positions, could compete with De’Andre Hunter for minutes at small forward. The rookie joins guards Trae Young and Dejounte Murray and forward Jalen Johnson as the foundation for a team that hasn’t won a playoff series since advancing to the 2021 Eastern Conference finals.
“I think it’s hard to project out in terms of playing minutes and all that stuff,” Fields said after making Risacher the top pick on Wednesday night. “But of course we want him to be the absolute best player he can be. How we’re defining a franchise player, I’ll leave that to you. But there’s nobody that wants to see him succeed more than us, and we’re going to absolutely set him up to do that.”
Fields followed up on that vow with the trade of Griffin, a 2022 first-round pick.
“We’re always going to look for ways to improve the team,” Fields said Friday.
Risacher’s family, including his father, six-time French all-star Stephane Risacher, attended Friday’s news conference. Stephane Risacher won a silver medal for France in the 2000 Summer Olympics and closely monitored his son’s growth as a player.
Stephane Risacher said he was smart enough to retire from backyard competitions when his son was 15.
“That was totally unfair,” the elder Risacher said with a smile. “I knew that was it. I retired. I’m still undefeated.”
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