It’s a fun exercise to get into, comparing draft players from previous years to the current cycle. There’s no doubt that the 2025 NBA draft stands out to be the strongest in recent memory. This leads to the question of how the top picks drafted last year would have fared in the 2025 NBA draft.
The No. 1 pick of the 2024 NBA draft was Zaccharie Risacher, who was picked by the Atlanta Hawks. The following are the next three picks in the 2024 NBA draft:
- Wizards drafted Alex Sarr (Perth)
- Rockets drafted Reed Sheppard (Kentucky)
- Spurs drafted Stephon Castle (Connecticut)
Noting this, fans on Reddit have been answering a thread asking where the Hawks star would have been drafted if he belonged to the 2025 class.
Where would Zaccharie Risacher get picked if he was in this draft?
byu/MysteriousCut9101 inNBA_Draft
Fans had their thoughts up on where they find Risacher get drafted in 2025. Some found him inside top five, most notably No. 3, while others had him outside top five.
“Zacc and Sarr would get rated highly in this class,” one fan thinks. “This is a weak center class so Sarr gets brownie points there. Zacc would depend a bit on team need but can’t go wrong with a 6’9” guy who can shoot and do a little bit of everything. I can see him as high as 3 though I can say the same for Sarr as well. Reed and Castle gets points deducted because this class has a lot of big guards who have far more offensive upside than Castle and are bigger than Reed.
“Sarr or risacher are probably in the 3-5 range. Castle and reed more in the 5-9 range,” another added.
“I think Philly at 3 would take Risacher or Sarr over VJ,” one fan added.
“As a prospect, 6-8. With Hindsight? 3-5,” one fan suggested.
“Risacher is better than Ace and a cleaner fit with Philly than VJ so 3,” another commented.
“In play at 3. Hypothetically if you had this year to look at he’s in the mix at 2. You obviously don’t, but it feels like an important distinction,” one fan wrote.
“On a big board? I’d probably have Risacher down near 8-10. In a mock he could go way higher bc he’s a wing and there are teams that need that. A lot of the top talent are guards,” another said.
How Does Zaccharie Risacher Fare Against 2025 NBA Draft’s Potential Top Pick?
Cooper Flagg is projected to be picked first overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2025 NBA draft.
Risacher was born in Spain and is the son of former French professional Stéphane Risacher. He made his EuroLeague debut in 2022 and starred for JL Bourg in 2023–24 (10.1 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game). Before coming to the USA, he was named the EuroCup Rising Star and Best Young Player in France. After going No. 1 to Atlanta, Risacher has held his own, averaging 2.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG and shooting 35.5% from deep in 2024–25 NBA season.
Meanwhile, Flagg comes from Maine and was a top player for Montverde Academy. He reclassified to an earlier class and in his very first season with Duke, he made heads turn by averaging 19.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG and 4.2 APG while sweeping all achievable national awards.
While Flagg holds a better upside, it remains to be seen if he can prove the fans correct that indeed his 2025 draft class was much better that the previous year.
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