NBA Summer League: Alex Sarr’s Wizards beat Zaccharie Risacher and Hawks in matchup of top 2 draft picks

The matchup between Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and No. 2 pick Alex Sarr left plenty of reason to be excited about both Frenchmen.

Both players made their NBA Summer League debuts Friday in Las Vegas.

It was Sarr’s Wizards that won 94-86, with the 7-footer posting 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting, seven rebounds, four assists and four blocks. Three of those four blocks came in the span of about 20 seconds of game time:

While Risacher went ahead of him, Sarr was seen by many as the top talent of the draft. He notably didn’t want the Hawks to take him, however, and did his best to make sure he’d land in Washington by declining to work out with Atlanta.

The Wizards are hoping Sarr can be their defensive centerpiece and a dangerous pick-and-pop threat on offense, not unlike what Rookie of the Year runner-up Chet Holmgren was for the Oklahoma City Thunder last season. Sarr went 2-for-5 from the 3-point line on Friday, with the makes including this nice shot off the dribble:

The Wizards’ other first-round pick, No. 14 selection Bub Carrington, had an even better night with 18 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

Meanwhile, Risacher had 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting and five rebounds, doing a little of everything for a team that didn’t have any other notable names.

The game didn’t quite have the juice of Victor Wembanyama making his Summer League debut last season, but it was still an encouraging performance for both players. Sarr will get his next chance to make an impression against No. 3 pick Reed Sheppard and the Houston Rockets on Sunday, while Risacher will face the San Antonio Spurs the same day.