Victor Wembanyama is the face of French Basketball, and it's not very close. The San Antonio Spurs' standout is one of the best players in the world and is expected to take over in the coming seasons as a legitimate GOAT candidate.

However, he's far from the only French player in the league. In recent seasons, guys like Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly, and Zaccharie Risacher joined the NBA to much fanfare. Veterans like Rudy Gobert and the recently retired Nic Batum carved out excellent careers for themselves, and France is a hotbed of talent. 

Picked first overall in 2024 by the Atlanta Hawks, Risacher is yet to live up to the hype. This summer, he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks for two-way guyard Ryan Nembhard. Atlanta was simply that eager to move on from him. 

Now on his second team before his rookie contract expires, Risacher is taking the time to settle in, although Wembanyama sees a lot of potential.

READ MORE: A Tour Inside Mavs' 'Taj Mahal of Basketball' Plans: On Church, State & Gambling

READ MORE: Mavericks 'Very, Very Confident' in Rookie PG Behind Kyrie Irving

READ MORE: Undermanned Mavericks Drop Home Opener to Spurs

Going into Monday at Miami, hrough three games, Risacher is averaging 8.7 points on only 18.2 percent shooting from distance. He's been able to get to the rim effectively, though, and remains a solid off-ball defender.

Is he first-overall pick material? No, but he does have potential to be a long-term piece for an up-and-coming team.

And he demonstrated some of that in the upset win at the Heat.

Risacher shot 2-of-13 from the field, including 1-of-6 from 3-point range, and finished with 6 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks, and 2 steals.

But Dallas was plus-9 in his minutes.

“Zach is finding himself now, he’s still so young. We really, really value and appreciate those plays,” coach Dusty May said. “However many missed shots he had, he had twice as many loose balls and blocks and steals and rebounds and the ones that don’t show up where he just gets a hand on it ...

"There’s no stat for that, but those are valued in our program and within our team.”

Said Risacher of his defensice work: "It’s just a reflection of who we are as a team. Defensively, we’re dogs. Everybody has the back of each other.''

Risacher’s 3 blocks included one on Giannis Antetokounmpo with 5:05 left and one on Davion Mitchell with 5.5 seconds to go.

After the trade to Dallas, some of the pressure on the Frenchman has been removed, which is ideal for his growth both on and off the court. Wembanyama, who entered the league with even bigger expectations, thinks that can't be overstated.

"For me, the situation he's in today is ideal," said Wembanyama in French about Risacher joining the Mavericks. "I think it's a good project, a good franchise, and I see him having fun. That's the most important thing. I think there's a real project here. In the future, close or far, I don't know. But in the future, it will be even better."

Against the Spurs, Risacher finished with 11 points, a steal, and two blocks. Much like Wembanyama, his defense is his calling card, and his offense lags behind, although it's safe to say that Wemby has him beat in both categories.

Alongside Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, Risacher has plenty of former top picks to commiserate with. Of course, both Irving and Flagg have lived up to their lofty expectations thus far, but it's too early to write off Risacher just yet.

Other draft "busts" like Anthony Bennett and Darko Miličić were total flubs who were never able to keep up in the NBA. Risacher, meanwhile, does not have the markings of a top pick, but is a capable NBA role player and depth piece. Behind forwards like Flagg, Morez Johnson, Naji Marshall, and PJ Washington, Risacher should be able to settle into a solid role.

He has Wemby's vote of confidence. And he has the same from his new Dallas teammates.