The Atlanta Hawks have finally ripped the Zaccharie Risacher Band-Aid off, trading him to the Dallas Mavericks in a three-way deal that brought Oklahoma City Thunder wing Lu Dort to town.
While Risacher is a solid NBA player, he was a colossal bust during his first two years in the NBA and never came close to matching the expectations placed on him with that draft status. Only a few players in NBA history picked that high can claim to have exceeded those struggles.
Risacher, unless he improves very quickly, is destined to possibly climb up higher on this infamous list of the 10 worst No. 1 picks in NBA history.
Zaccharie Risacher and the Top 10 worst No. 1 picks in NBA Draft history
10. Kent Benson (Milwaukee Bucks, 1977)
Stats: 9.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.8 APG
Bob Knight's undefeated 1975-76 Indiana had Benson and 1976 Chicago Bulls No. 2 pick Scott May in the frontcourt, but neither managed to become NBA stars. Benson played 11 seasons in the league, 6.5 of which came with the Pistons, and was reliable as an interior defender, but he was not worthy of No. 1 pick status.
9. Pervis Ellison (Sacramento Kings, 1989)
Stats: 9.5 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.5 APG
When you're nicknamed "Out of Service Pervis" as a rookie, you're set up for failure. Ellison's health problems led to the Kings trading him after just one season. Ellison did win Most Improved Player after averaging 20.0 points and 11.2 rebounds per game for the Washington Bullets in 1991-92, but injuries limited him to a role as a backup big with the Boston Celtics for most of his career.
8. Zaccharie Risacher (Atlanta Hawks, 2024)
Stats: 11.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.2 APG
Risacher can easily claw his way out of this spot if Dallas manages to give him the developmental boost he needs, but things aren't looking up for him after regressing last year. Like the two players above him on this list, Risacher will likely have a long career as a role player. However, any chance of him being a franchise player has ebbed away.
7. Markelle Fultz (Philadelphia 76ers, 2017)
Stats: 10.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 4.3 APG
When you immediately lose your shooting form and get traded after playing just 33 games, that's a sign that being picked first overall was a mistake. While Fultz managed to become a worthwhile role player in Orlando, getting picked over Jayson Tatum and then performing as he did is a bad look for all parties involved.
6. Michael Olowokandi (Los Angeles Clippers, 1998)
Stats: 8.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.4 BPG
Turns out there's a reason Pacific is not regarded as a basketball powerhouse. Even though averaging 10 points, 8.0 rebounds, and just under 2.0 blocks per game as a Clipper isn't bad production, Olowokandi peaked early and never developed a skilled offensive game. Still, his defense was well-regarded, and he pushed his way to a nine-year career with LA and Minnesota, primarily.
Zaccharie Risacher was a better No. 1 pick than Kwame Brown
5. Kwame Brown (Washington Wizards, 2001)
Stats: 6.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 0.9 APG
Picked right before Tyson Chandler and two selections above Hall of Famer Pau Gasol, Brown's name became synonymous with the worst "bust" for quite some time. He would bounce between seven teams in a shockingly long 12-year career, but with one season of double-digit scoring under his belt, Brown showcased all the flaws teams worried about when drafting out of high school.
4. Bill McGill (Chicago Zephyrs, 1962)
Stats: 10.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.1 APG
The man they alliteratively nicknamed "The Hill" and inventor of the jump hook averaged 38.8 points per game in his final college season at Utah, but Chicago gave up on him after just one season. By the end of his third season, McGill played for four teams (Bullets, Hawks, Knicks, Lakers) and was out of the league. He resurfaced with the Denver Rockets and Los Angeles Stars of the ABA.
3. Greg Oden (Portland Trail Blazers, 2007)
Stats: 8.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.2 BPG
Poor Greg Oden. His injuries were historically debilitating, and it washed away all the potential of a player who looked like a dominant force during his brief windows of solid health. Oden played just 105 games in the NBA. While few knew the gap between the two would be so large, picking him over Kevin Durant will haunt Portland forever.
2. LaRue Martin (Portland Trail Blazers, 1972)
Stats: 5.3 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 0.7 APG
Oden is a tragic story due to his injuries, but Martin was just straight-up bad. Due to rumored concerns surrounding the eligibility of Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo, Portland took Martin No. 1 and let McAdoo fall to the Buffalo Braves at No. 2. McAdoo is in Springfield, while Martin shot 41% from the field (as a center!) and was out of the NBA by 1976.
1. Anthony Bennett (Cleveland Cavaliers, 2013)
Stats: 4.4 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 0.5 APG
This was a move that everyone and their grandmother knew was a disaster in real time. Picked No. 1 in a bad draft when many thought he was a fringe Top 10 pick, Bennett famously didn't score until his fifth game and played just four years in the NBA with four teams. Bennett was one of a handful of No. 1 picks where the team that selected him immediately knew they made a huge mistake.
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