Four players who competed in Europe last season were selected on Wednesday night
Risacher taken first overall, Dadiet in first round of NBA Draft
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The BKT EuroCup tagline of #RoadtoGreatness lived up to its billing on Wednesday night when Zaccharie Risacher of Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the first overall pick of the NBA Draft. Later, Pacome Dadiet of ratiopharm Ulm was chosen with the 25th pick of the first round by the New York Knicks. In between them, Nikola Topic of Turkish Airlines EuroLeague club Crvena Zvezda Merdianbet Belgrade was taken by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 12th pick.
The 2023-24 EuroCup Rising Star, the 19-year-old Risacher played a key role in helping Bourg reach the EuroCup Finals. He averaged 11.3 points on 45.0% three-point shooting and 3.3 rebounds over 23 appearances – including 20 as a starter.
"“It’s a blessing, so excited. There’s a lot of feelings and emotions right now. I don’t know what to say, but it’s definitely special and I’m so blessed," Risacher said on the broadcast after he was picked.
Topic, 18, could miss all of next season after suffering a partially torn ACL late in the season with Zvezda. Early projections had him being taken much higher in the draft, but galling to 12 may be a blessing for the tall guard. He later revealed that he spoke with a countryman and former EuroLeague MVP about playing in Oklahoma City.
“I talked with [Vasa] Micic and he told me all the best, not just for the Thunder," Topic said. "He told me about the NBA and he was just full of positive things.”
Dadiet, 18, joined Ulm in January 2023 and last season featured in a reserve role off the bench. He averaged 6.5 points in 58.8% two-point shooting and 1.6 rebounds in 15:02 minutes over 19 EuroCup games as Ulm lost in the first playoff knockout round.
“I think it’s beautiful. I took a lot of risks. I left France when I was 17, so I did the last two years in Germany," Dadiet said in a press conference after he was selected. "I felt like it was a risk. But I believed in myself, I worked a lot, and I stayed confident.”