The NBA season and the NBA Draft have come and gone but that doesn't mean we have to wait until the new season to get our basketball fix. The NBA 2K25 Summer League kicks off this week with the 2024 rookie class and top prospects battling it out for the Summer League Championship.

This is where players may not have been lottery picks or even picked at all to showcase their skills for their team to obtain a roster spot in the upcoming 2024/2025 NBA season. Let's kick things off with a matchup between the Atlanta Hawks and the Washington Wizards.

With that said, we take a look at this NBA 2K25 Summer League matchup to make a Hawks-Wizards prediction and pick.

(Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images)

Atlanta Hawks NBA Summer League Team Analysis

Atlanta Hawks (0-0) come into this summer league with a ton of intrigue with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft Zaccharie Risacher. There's a ton of hype surrounding this young player who played over in France.

• While many have said this has been one of the weakest draft classes in recent memory, Risacher is looking to prove those doubters wrong.

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Risacher is a great three-and-D wing player who usually translates quite well to the NBA but that's not all he's got good playmaking abilities and if he's able to grow in that area he can be a potential star player for the Atlanta Hawks.

1. Risacher will be joined by 2023 lottery pick Kobe Bufkin who only played in 17 games last season.
2. The Hawks expect Bufkin to make that next step in his progression to make a bigger contribution to the Hawks in rebuild mode.

This game will be telling as the Hawks will know what they have from their newest addition to the roster. It will be up to Risacher to show out and put his name on the map to show the masses that he was the best player in this draft class.

Should be an intriguing matchup, one that the Hawks could run away with if they can get their shots going early against a very inexperienced Washington Wizards squad.

Also, this will be the first time the Cavaliers get to see what they are working with their first-round draft pick Jaylon Tyson who was the 20th overall selection in the 2024 NBA Draft.

They also have undrafted rookie DJ Burns who was a big part of NC State's Cinderella run to the Final Four in last year's March Madness tournament.

It'll be a feeling-out process for the Cavaliers assistant coach Jordan Ott who will be leading this Cavaliers squad in this year's summer league. If they can get the same production from the return players as they did last summer league they can make a deep run.

Washington Wizards NBA Summer League Team Analysis

Washington Wizards(0-0) come into this year's summer league with some excitement for the first time in quite a while. They drafted the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2024 NBA Draft Alex Sarr.

Much like his countryman Risacher, Sarr is a French basketball player that many are not aware of and this is his chance to showcase what he can do to not only the Washington fans but also the entire league.

1. Sarr will be accompanied by two other first-round draft picks from the 2024 draft class.
2. The No. 14 pick Carlton Carrington and No. 24 pick Kyshawn George will be taking the court for the first time much like Sarr.

The rebuilding Washington Wizards certainly will be excited to see how their three first-round picks as well as other emerging prospects fare in the first summer league game on Friday night.

• While the Washington Wizards will not have a ton of experience on their side, they will have a ton of excitement from their group of young players looking to make a name for themselves.

Sometimes that can overtake the experience and they hope that's the case when they take on the Hawks in the first game of this year's summer league.

NBA SUMMER LEAGUE BETS ATLANTA HAWKS Vs WASHINGTON WIZARDS FANDUEL ODDS FOR JULY 12TH

MONEY LINE

• ATLANTA HAWKS: +126
• WASHINGTON WIZARDS: -154

SPREAD

• ATLANTA HAWKS: +3 (-110)
• WASHINGTON WIZARDS: -3 (-110)

OVER/UNDER (TOTAL)

• OVER 177.5 (-113)
• UNDER 177.5 (-113)

BEST ODDS FOR ATLANTA HAWKS Vs WASHINGTON WIZARDS

• The Washington Wizards are -3-point favorites against the Atlanta Hawks. Bet365 currently has the best odds at -2 (-110)
• The Atlanta Hawks are the underdogs by 3 points to cover the spread. FanDuel currently has the best odds at +3 (-110)
• FanDuel currently has the best odds for the total, which is set at 177.5 (-110) for the over, and (-110) for the under

ATLANTA HAWKS VS. WASHINGTON WIZARDS INJURY REPORT

ATLANTA HAWKS INJURY REPORT

• NONE

WASHINGTON WIZARDS INJURY REPORT INJURY REPORT

• NONE

FINAL HAWKS-WIZARDS PICK & PREDICTION

The Washington Wizards should have a leg up in the NBA 2K25 Summer League opener when it comes to their youth and the higher-level talent. They have three first-round draft picks that will be taking the court for the Wizards.

With the little talent that the Hawks have aside from Risacher coming into this game, it'll be tough for them to overcome as the Wizards just edge this one out in a closely contested matchup.

FINAL HAWKS-WIZARDS PICK & PREDICTION: WASHINGTON WIZARDS: -3 (-110)

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