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• Celtics' Porzingis has surgery, out 5-6 months

  The Boston Celtics will begin defence of their NBA championship without the services of standout center Kristaps Porziņģis.

  Porzingis underwent surgery for a left ankle injury that sidelined him for much of the Celtics' run through the NBA Finals, the team announced Thursday. The one-time All-Star is expected to need five-to-six months of recovery time, which could delay his season debut into December.

  The Celtics said in a statement that Porzingis' procedure was to repair a torn retinaculum and dislocated posterior tibialis tendon in his left ankle, an injury he sustained in Boston's win over the Dallas Mavericks in Game 2 of the Finals on June 9.

  Porzingis sat out Games 3 and 4 before returning for a limited role in the Celtics' title-clinching 106-88 victory in Game 5.

  The eight-year veteran previously missed 10 play-off games with a strained right calf before returning for Game 1 of the Finals.

  Porzingis will also miss next month's qualifying tournament for the Summer Olympics in Paris, where he was to compete for his native Latvia.

  Acquired from the Washington Wizards last June as part of a three-team trade that sent former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart from Boston to the Memphis Grizzlies, Porzingis played a major role on a Celtics team that compiled the league's best regular-season record at 64-18 before going on to capture the franchise's first championship since 2008.

  The 7-foot-2 Porzingis ranked third among Boston players in scoring at 20.1 points per game, shot 37.5 per cent from 3-point range and also averaged 7.2 rebounds in 57 games.

  Porzingis, an All-Star with the New York Knicks in 2017-18, was limited to just seven games this post-season and averaged 12.3 points and 4.4 rebounds.

  The 28-year-old is under contract for one more season after signing a two-year, $60 million extension shortly after last summer's trade.

  Porzingis' injury will likely push veteran Al Horford into a starting role to begin next season. The 38-year-old Horford averaged 9.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists while starting Boston's final 15 post-season games and recently said he intends to return for an 18th NBA season. 

   

• French players go early, often at NBA draft

  For the second year in a row, a player from France was selected first overall in the NBA draft.

  As a testament to the NBA being a global game, a player from France was also taken with the second and the sixth pick in the 2024 draft.

  The Atlanta Hawks started off Wednesday's draft from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn by selecting Zaccharie Risacher with the first overall pick, and the Washington Wizards followed their lead by taking fellow Frenchman Alexandre Sarr with the No. 2 pick.

  The run on French players continued with the Charlotte Hornets selecting forward Tidjane Salaun with the sixth pick, making this the first time in modern history that a country other than the United States had three players selected in the top 10.

   

  Risacher is a catch-and-shoot 3-point specialist and an exceptional defender on the wing, while the big man Sarr possesses the ball-handling ability of a wing and is an elite rim protector.

  Salaun was the youngest player taken in the draft at 18 years old, and is considered an excellent athlete with a high motor.

  There was one more player from France taken before the first round ended, with the New York Knicks taking Pacome Dadiet at No. 25.

  With another Frenchman, Victor Wembanyama, being selected first overall last year by the San Antonio Spurs, this also marked the first time in NBA history consecutive No. 1 picks didn’t play collegiately in the United States.

  It wasn't all players from France selected, however.

  After the top two picks, the Houston Rockets took sharp-shooter Reed Sheppard from Kentucky, and the San Antonio Spurs used their first of two top-10 picks to select guard Stephon Castle from two-time defending American collegiate national champion Connecticut at No. 4.

  Three picks later, Castle's team-mate at UConn, centre Donovan Clingan, was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Spurs then used their second top-10 pick to take Kentucky point guard Rob Dillingham at No. 8, but later traded him to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

  Forward Ron Holland II, an American who skipped college to play in the G League, went three picks earlier to the Detroit Pistons at No. 5.

  Perhaps the biggest - no pun intended - surprise of the first round was the Memphis Grizzlies taking Zach Edey with the ninth pick.

  The 7-foot-3 Canadian is the back-to-back American collegiate AP national player of the year, yet was slotted to get picked much later by many experts.

  The Utah Jazz rounded out the top 10 by selecting Colorado forward Cody Williams - a strong defender and adept ball-handler.

  One name absent from the first round was Bronny James - son of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James.

  The elder James had previously said it would be a dream to play with his son, but his team, the Los Angeles Lakers, ended up taking Dalton Knecht with the 17th pick.

  Knecht, a prolific scorer and an AP All-American this past season at Tennessee, was projected by many prognosticators to be a top-10 pick, but slid down the draft board.

  The younger James hadn't been predicted to be selected in the first round, but could be taken at some point on Day 2 of the draft on Thursday. 

• Hawks draft Risacher with top pick, Wizards take fellow Frenchman Sarr at No. 2

  The Atlanta Hawks are turning to a 19-year-old French phenom with the hopes he can revive their scuffling franchise.

  Ditto for the Washington Wizards.

  The Hawks selected Zaccharie Risacher with the first overall pick of Wednesday’s NBA draft, and the Wizards followed by taking fellow Frenchman Alexandre Sarr with the No. 2 pick.

  Risacher, Sarr and two-time defending American collegiate national champion Donovan Clingan were all mentioned as possibilities to be picked first, but ultimately the Hawks settled on Risacher.

   

  The decision had been somewhat speculated for days after Sarr had recently worked out and met with the Wizards while declining an invitation from the Hawks, but Atlanta was keeping all options open.

  Risacher worked out for Atlanta last week, and ownership evidently liked what it saw from the 6-foot-8 wing, making him the franchise's first No. 1 pick since 1975, when it selected David Thompson.

  After another Frenchman, Victor Wembanyama, was picked first overall last year by the San Antonio Spurs, this marks the first time in NBA history consecutive No. 1 picks didn’t play collegiately in the United States.

  Considered to have the biggest upside of anyone in this draft class, Risacher is not only a catch-and-shoot 3-point specialist, but also an exceptional defender, thanks to his length.

  Not even on the draft radar a year ago, Risacher first started appearing on a lot of mock drafts with his sensational start to the LNB Pro A season in France. He then entered the conversation as a potential top pick with his stellar play at the EuroCup.

  He now joins a Hawks team that is in search of a spark after being stuck in mediocrity the past few seasons.

  After reaching the Eastern Conference finals in 2021, it totalled three play-off wins in being ousted in the first round in 2022 and ’23 and missed the post-season entirely this past season after finishing 10th in the East.

  With Atlanta, Risacher will have an opportunity to hone his game and add some weight to his lanky frame as he makes the transition to the NBA.

  Atlanta’s offence revolves around the guard play of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, so Risacher won’t be asked to do too much too soon.

  Risacher is far from being a finished product, but the Hawks believe he has the tools to develop into being a core member of the team for years to come.

  Atlanta’s decision to draft Risacher, made Washington’s choice at No. 2 a no-brainer, especially after Sarr decided not to meet with the Hawks.

  Sarr reportedly viewed Washington as a favourable landing spot over Atlanta, and the Wizards didn’t hesitate in snatching up someone who for a long time was considered the top prospect in the draft class.

  The French-born Sarr, who spent the last season playing for Perth in the Australian Basketball League, is an athletic two-way player. He is effective as a finisher near the hoop off the pick-and-roll and is an elite rim protector on the defensive end.

  With a 7-foot-4 wingspan, Sarr gives the Wizards interior length and should provide an upgrade on the defensive end considering Washington allowed a league-worst 123 points per game last season.

  The Wizards are coming off their worst season in franchise history, going 15-67, and have missed the play-offs each of the last three seasons with only one play-off appearance in the last six.

  Sarr is now the centrepiece of Washington’s rebuild.

  At 6-foot-11, he has the size of a centre, but possesses the ball-handling ability of a wing, able to dribble through traffic or deliver an accurate pass to an open team-mate.

  Sarr needs to add bulk – and a mid-range and 3-point shot – but has enough strengths to his game that he should be able to step right in and help the Wizards on both ends of the court.