In March of 2024, scouts solidified Matas Buzelis and Zaccharie Risacher as two top talents in the comparatively weak 2024 draft class – but the two couldn’t be more different.
Buzelis was first ranked as an NBA-caliber talent when he was 16, and he quickly became the top small forward in his high school class and had offers from nearly every blue chip school. He ultimately turned down college in favor of the G League Ignite program, where he struggled. In a weak draft class, however, he remained a top prospect. Buzelis has always been at the top of recruiting lists and draft boards, even during a poor season by his standards.
Risacher, however, was a name scarcely known in the United States before his age-19 season in France. In the professional youth system of European Basketball, Risascher was forced to be a role player while his American peers were stars of high school and college teams, racking up stats and NBA interest in the process. But this pro-ready quality was what intrigued the Atlanta Hawks the most when selecting the French forward – the quality that hid his name paid off in the long run.
Last March, Buzelis told the European outlet BasketNews that he wanted to face Risacher on the court before draft day, saying “Of course, I want to see him one-on-one,” but followed with a taunt, “He just doesn't want to do that with me. His agent will not do that with me, and I know he won't. It’s a business decision.”
When Buzelis was asked what advantage would allow him to prevail, he didn’t hold back with his response: "My advantage is that I have everything over him."
Buzelis clearly did not respect Risacher back then, and apparently, he still doesn’t.
Buzelis torched the Hawks while Risacher’s blunder cost them the game
In a two-game series against the Hawks, Buzelis did his best to back up his previous talk. He dropped 28 points on a stunning 10/11 from the field and 7/8 from three in the first leg, then followed with 15 points on 6/8 and 2/3, respectively. Over his two-night stay in Atlanta, he combined scored 43 points and missed three field goals. Perhaps he does have a few advantages over Atlanta’s wing talent.
Risacher, however, had a less-stunning pair of games. Like Buzelis, Risacher’s best performance came in the first game. He dropped 17 points while shooting 6/11 and 4/7, with his shooting coming in critical bursts to help the Atlanta offense. Risacher had a solid second outing, but committed the final foul to seal the game for the Bulls. While the loss wasn’t his fault, he is the obvious target who fans direct their frustrations at in angry social media posts.
The jury is still out for both Buzelis and Risacher as players, and the two have pretty comparable statistical profiles through their first 100 games. The score in the lighthearted feud between the two sophomores, is also even – Risacher got the nod for first overall, but Buzelis tied the score after a win this doubleheader.
Buzelis has put the ball back in Risacher's court to prove he is the top player of his draft class.