As soon as the Atlanta Hawks won the draft lottery that got them the first pick this year, many analysts predicted that they would select French prodigy Alex Sarr. Even the 19-year-old began picturing his future with the team as he confessed to watching “a lot of Hawks games” and enjoying their “hype crowd” while he was a part of Overtime Elite. However, everyone was left in shock on draft night, when Adam Silver announced Zaccharie Risacher’s name instead of Sarr as the Hawks’ first choice. Adding salt to Sarr’s wounds, Trae Young got brutally honest and revealed the role he feels that most of the lottery picks will play in their rookie season.

Although he had nice things to say about the No. 1 pick, he soon stated the harsh reality, “To be honest with you and no disrespect to the guy that got drafted… A lot of us look at them as role players coming in anyway.” Unlike a few scenarios when lottery picks turn out to be generational players like Victor Wembanyama did last year, they rarely make an immediate impact in their rookie season. Taking the world by storm, Wemby averaged a double-double as a rookie with 21.4 points and 10.6 rebounds. On top of that, he led the league in blocks at 3.6 per game and was a DPOY contender. But not everyone can be as good as Wembanyama right away, isn’t it?

Then, Young specifically talked about Alex Sarr, who was selected by the Wizards at No. 2, after the Hawks passed on him. “As good as Alex Sarr is, I don’t think he’s going to be their franchise player going forward” Although Young predicted a bright future and a long career for Sarr in the NBA, he does not believe that this year’s lottery picks were expected to be the Lucas or Zions of the world.

Diving into more detail, Young remarked, “None of the guys, whether it’s Reed who’s going to be a hell of an NBA player or Alex (Sarr) who did not play well in Summer League but he’s gonna be a hell of an NBA player, a lot of these guys could be just role players,” Trae said on Podcast P with Paul George. While that’s a bold prediction by Hawk for the upcoming season, how did the first and second picks of the draft fare in the Summer League?

How did Alex Sarr perform in the Summer League?

“I know a little bit about Atlanta. I wasn’t doing much. I was just going to school and was in the gym. It’s a great city.” Despite all the nice things Sarr had to say about Atlanta before the draft, the Hawks did not find him deserving enough to be the first pick. And many believed that Sarr would return with a vengeance as he took on the hardwood in the Summer League.

However, the reality was far from it. As dominant as he was playing for the Perth Wildcats last season, Sarr’s game failed to transition in his first NBA experience as he averaged only 5.5 points in 4 appearances. But there were some bright spots as he grabbed nearly 8 rebounds every game.

Meanwhile, his fellow Frenchman Zaccharie Risacher left a much better first impression playing for the Hawks as he averaged 14.5 points while playing only two games in the Summer League. On top of that, he also showcased his defensive and playmaking skills with 5 rebounds and two assists. Going by their Summer League performances, it seemed like the Hawks made the right decision by picking Risacher over Sarr. However, things could change once the actual test begins this upcoming season.

Do you think Trae’s brutal prediction for Sarr will be right or will the rookie prove him wrong by having a breakout season in Washington? Let us know in the comments below.

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger