Trae Young saw his Atlanta Hawks jump up nine spots in the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery to land the No. 1 draft pick. Unfortunately, they got this honor in a year with a weak class, selecting project wing Zaccharie Risacher with their pick. Young commented on the 2024 class, openly saying that this is a draft of role-players.
“No disrespect to the guys that got drafted… some guys might surprise us, but a lot of us look at them as role players coming in any way… A lot of these guys could be just role players, so I feel like the GM’s really just trying to figure out who is going to be the best role player for their team.”
Young had a comment about the No. 1 prospect heading into the Draft, Alex Sarr. Sarr refused to work out with the Hawks to try and land with the Washington Wizards, with Young saying he doesn’t believe Sarr is going to become a franchise player on the Wizards.
“As good as Alex Sarr is, I don’t think he’s going to be their franchise player going forward. He’s gonna be a great great player and have a long NBA career, but the outlook of this… Nobody is gonna be a Luka or a Zion.”
Young is being honest, though we rarely see NBA players with such candor about incoming draft classes. Everyone knows that the 2024 Class is being treated with a lot of question marks and skepticism about the realistic ceiling of the players selected, especially after a stacked 2023 Class which had great players available even past the lottery.
The Hawks’ No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher averaged 14.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists over the NBA Summer League, showing promise to be a rotational player as a rookie but it’s hard to call him a difference-maker as the Hawks enter a season without clarity on what their roster will look like and if they’ll be able to contend for the Playoffs.
Trae averaged 25.7 points and 10.8 assists last season, showing his utility as an elite point guard in the NBA. Even with defensive concerns, Young made an All-Star team and proved to the world that he could be a one-man offensive engine if he had the right pieces around him.
Sarr would’ve been a better fit on the Hawks as the long-term replacement for Clint Capela, opening up a double-big frontcourt with Onyeka Okongwu, giving Young two major lob threats with Sarr also being able to shoot the ball. After Sarr’s disappointing Summer League performances, the Hawks will be happy to bet on the long-term upside of Risacher.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
