Frank Mason III, the 2017 college basketball National Player of the Year, watched the Atlanta Hawks’ new No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher play in France this season, and let’s just say he’s not impressed.
“Played this young guy in France this past season; no way he’s the number one pick in the NBA draft lol, but I guess!” Mason said in a post on X. “Solid young player, but # 1 pick is absurd.”
Mason played for three different teams in the NBA after being selected No. 33 overall in 2019 by the Sacramento Kings and was a standout guard for Kansas from 2013-17.
Risacher was 18 for most of last season while playing in the professional French League, where he played in the French Betclic ELITE ProA league.
Mason most recently played for the Sluc Nancy team, and produced strong numbers: 15.5 points per game, 3.3 rebounds and 5.2 assists.
Mason missed the two games his team played against Risacher’s JL Bourg-en-Bresse this past season, each of which were routes as Nancy’s Mason-less group proved no match for Bourg.
Risacher scored 11 and 10 points in the two games, respectively, averaging 19 minutes per game, while Bourg won by 26 and 25 points, respectively.
The skepticism surrounding Risacher as a No. 1 pick was also shared by The Ringer’s Ryen Russillo, who mentioned that players in France, including his teammates, would probably be shocked if he went first.
“Risacher going No. 1, I get what the high side of it is, but I imagine there’s teammates of him in France that are like, ‘I cannot believe that guy was the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft,” Russillo mentioned on the “Bill Simmons Podcast.”
The expectation is that Risacher will be a bench player to open the season, as he will have trouble breaking the Hawks’ starting lineup that features DeAndre Hunter and budding star Jalen Johnson.
Risacher doesn’t turn 20 until April, as the youngster looks to grow into his body with the help of the Hawks.
