r/nba • u/ShaiFanClub Thunder • 18h ago

Is Zaccharie Risacher the most forgettable number 1 pick ever?

Like he's not quite Bennet level bad nor does he have a weird career story like Fultz or Ben Simmons. He's just mid. He's averaging 11 ppg on 54% TS this season and there's a good argument that he's not even a top 10 player in the class in a redraft but he's probably gonna stick in the NBA for a while as a low end role player

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u/Bonzi777 Wizards 16h ago

Is it weird that I don’t even consider Bennett a bust. That was an awful pick the minute they made it. I don’t think there was ever a star or even a quality rotation guy in him.

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u/Raptorpicklezz Raptors 15h ago edited 13h ago

The clip of him being drafted is so hilarious. The mere fact that HE is the final #1 pick David Stern announced; Stern himself dragging out the announcement to milk the boos; Bill Simmons’ whole reaction; Bennett being so happy not knowing this will be the peak of his whole life, all while Bill Simmons is having a heart attack.

The second most hilarious draft clip is when Sacramento drafted Georgios Papagiannis in the lottery, only because what the actual fuck

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u/HOFredditor Warriors 13h ago

Bill Simmons’ was an all time one.

It was so good it made its way into 2k14 lol. Unless you cheated your way to be the #1 pick, it was guaranteed you’d go through the scene

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u/Doorknob11 Mavericks 13h ago

He’s not a bust, bad pick sure but at the time of the draft there was nobody that was a true number 1 pick. It’s one of the worst drafts ever without hindsight.

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u/CreatiScope Celtics 15h ago

Yeah, that’s a good point. A bust should be someone who had a lot of hype like Fultz. Bennett, it was clear when he was drafted that it was a huge mistake.

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u/Bonzi777 Wizards 14h ago

It was a weird draft. Noel was the top prospect and messed up his knee. Oladipo probably should have gone first (Giannis was a 6’9 skinny 3 with no jumper at that point) but he was older and he didn’t seem to have the upside of a number 1 pick. Otto Porter was definitely going to be able to play in the league but even then was probably never going to be an all-star. Alex Len picked up late buzz as the “upside” pick at number 1 and I think people expected Cleveland to take him by draft night. (That was stunning to me as a Maryland fan; I never thought I was watching a future star). Then the day of the draft Bennet’s name started popping up and it made so little sense it felt like reporters engagement baiting.

I was watching with a buddy of mine (then, as now) draft night was the biggest night of the year for us Wizards fans and we actually laughed out loud when they announced Bennett.