In a 2024 NBA draft class that was considered weak overall, Zaccharie Risacher isn’t a traditional number-one pick. Nevertheless, Risacher’s rookie preview holds a lot of excitement for Hawks fans as they look to the future. The Hawks only had a three percent chance of receiving the number one selection on draft lottery night. With the Hawks’ roster surrounded by uncertainty, they’re content to have grabbed a promising young wing with tons of talent.
Let’s take a look at Risacher’s rookie preview for this upcoming season.
NBA Rookie Preview: Zaccharie Risacher
Prospect Profile
Risacher has the tools and feel to be a successful NBA wing for years to come. He’s a six-foot-nine French wing who fits what the NBA is looking for. Risacher’s was widely considered a top prospect due to high-percentage three-point shooting and solid defensive efforts. This ‘3-and-D’ wing archetype is always valuable, and Risacher looks to be the best of this mold for the 2024 class. This makes his floor somewhat safe, and there’s still a lot of untapped potential in his playmaking and physical growth.
Risacher’s upside traits or improvement areas come in his physical development and playmaking/shot-creation potential. Being the number one pick, most are accustomed to prospects who are slightly more NBA-ready when it comes to scoring for themselves or playmaking for others. The 3-and-D wing will always be valuable in the NBA, but it isn’t normally the archetype of a number-one pick. This is especially true given the fact that previous number-one picks have been hyper NBA-ready prospects. These names include Victor Wembanyama, Paolo Banchero, Cade Cunningham, and Anthony Edwards. These players were pretty much immediate number-one options and franchise cornerstones for their respective teams. Risacher’s rookie preview doesn’t quite project to that level as he’s still somewhat of a developmental prospect.
Team Fit
As mentioned above, Risacher won’t be asked to carry the franchise from day one similar to previous first overall selections. He should have the ability to play a lot of meaningful minutes for a playoff-caliber team. As the Hawks aren’t a championship contender though, Risacher’s rookie preview includes opportunities for development and volume shot attempts, while also playing in the safety net of a specific role.
Admittedly, the Hawks roster has a lot of uncertainty in terms of the trade market. Multi-year starters such as Clint Capela and De’Andre Hunter, even along with superstar Trae Young, have all been involved in trade rumors. As it stands now though, there’s a solid roster that should help to somewhat insulate Risacher. Risacher will also only have to play on the wings with Jalen Johnson and Hunter holding down the forward spots around him. This is his most natural position where he can get out in transition, spot up for three-pointers, and guard slighter-framed wings defensively.
All in all, Risacher enters a good situation and should fit like a glove on the Hawks roster. The Hawks had a clear need for shooting and versatility on the wing, and Risacher provides just that.
Predictions
Similar to Alex Sarr, Risacher is an elite talent but not predicted by most for Rookie of the Year. At this time, I think that’s a fair assessment. If the Hawks roster stays competitive, I think Risacher should be a first-team All-Rookie selection. He should have a desirable situation for a rookie. Risacher will get ‘high-volume’ opportunities for stat purposes, but also only have to play a specific role that should help efficiency. His efficiency will be key, however, as his summer league performance made some people aware of it. He shot just 25 percent from three on eight attempts in two games. Rookies are notoriously inefficient in summer league play though. It’s the NBA regular season that should tell the full story on Risacher.
