Hawks under fire after passing on 'Mahomes type prospect' in 2024 NBA Draft

Atlanta Hawks rookie Zaccharie Risacher will face scrutiny.  He is the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft and a prospect many fans may not have been familiar with before he arrived in Atlanta this offseason. 

Risacher followed up his 18-point effort in the opener against the Washington Wizards with an 11-point showing against the San Antonio Spurs.

He has averaged 14.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 blocks through two games.

Risacher has been inefficient (.393/.250/.425). His performance is not why the Hawks’ decision to select him over some of their others, specifically Houston Rockets guard Reed Sheppard is facing scrutiny from fans, though.

“The Atlanta Hawks viewed Reed Sheppard as a ‘[Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick] Mahomes type of player,’ and he was No. 2 on their board and ultimately they went with a guy that had better size,” CBS Sports Matt Norlander said on June 26. “It will be interesting to see what kind of career Reed Sheppard has and where he goes because he was the player that finished second in this race to the Hawks to Risacher. 

“We might well see down the road that it could be, well, a potential mistake.” 

ESPN's Jonathan Givony reported on June 19 that the Hawks viewed Sheppard as a "trade-back option" for the Hawks after the latter's workout.

Mahomes was notably the No. 10 overall pick of the 2017 draft, taken by the Chiefs who traded up while the Chicago Bears were among the teams to pass on him, selecting Mitchell Trubisky instead. Mahomes' father has said they believed he would be drafted by Chicago

The younger Mahomes has reminded the Bears of that when the two teams meet

Fans react to Hawks’ decision to pass on ‘Mahomes type prospect’

“Mahomes has been the best qb for the last 4 years why would you not draft reed then,” a fan said.

“Comparing a prospect to the goat QB and not taking him is some funny stuff,” said another fan.

According to Norlander, the Hawks believe Risacher “can grow into a better than 40% three-point shooter” and that he “seemed like the safest one” of the top options which also included Alexandre Sarr and Donovan Clingan at various points.

“I gotta know who they viewed Risacher as,” one fan said, following their message with a series of laughing emojis.

Some took a deeper approach, looking at Washington.

“Honestly, I’ve kinda defended the Risacher pick relative to how some have talked about it but it’s starting to seem like passing on Reed was a disaster,” offered one observer. “I think it’s even more of a disaster for Washington passing on him for Sarr.”

Sarr has a 10.0/5.5/3.0 line with 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 30.8% from the floor and 20% from beyond the arc. 

Insider: Hawks ‘love’ Zaccharie Risacher’s skill set

Passing on “Mahomes” – a three-time Super Bowl winner and NFL’s top QB – in Sheppard could suggest they view a higher ceiling for Risacher as more than the “safest” option. However, the questions Norlander posed about Sheppard are already proving prescient.

“They put the Sheppard- Mahomes comp in this regard: what if Reed Sheppard turns into one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA? What if he’s a guy who can give you 22, 24, 26 points per game? If that’s the case, you would’ve automatically taken him. We don’t have the answer to that. Risacher narrowly beats out Sheppard to go to the Atlanta Hawks.”

Sheppard has notched 22 and 23 points in his first two Summer League outings and is shooting 45.5% from three. Those stats do not mean much for the regular season. 

He has a nickname comparing him to four-time champ and Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry.

As for Risacher, Norlander’s description of how the Hawks viewed him showed how they tried to balance upside and security with the pick. It also underscores the inexperience of the Hawks’ front office.

“Ultimately, they wound up picking him because Landry Fields – who is only in his second year as a GM – he was going to lean toward the safer pick. They are in love with his footwork, they are in love with his three-point specialty potential, and they love the idea that he can truly be a long, rangy stretch-4 kind of guy.”