Zaccharie Risacher Stepping Up as Hawks Deal With Injury

While Zaccharie Risacher may not have the flair of the typical number one overall pick, he has quietly had his fair share of star flashes throughout his rookie season.

The first of which came against the New York Knicks in early November. In this Atlanta Hawks victory, Risacher filled up the stat sheet, pouring in 33 points, grabbing 7 boards, dishing out 3 assists, nabbing 3 steals, and a pair of rejections. He did so on just 18 total shots, shooting 6-for-10 from beyond the arc.

It would take a few months for the 6-foot-9 Frenchman to replicate this type of performance, but in his first full game back from injury, Risacher scored 30 points for the second time in his career, with even better efficiency.

In an end-of-January loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the 19-year-old forward scored exactly 30 while missing just three of his 14 shot attempts. This included 5-for-6 shooting from three, and perfect 7-for-7 shooting from the field in his 20-point first half. He followed this up with a 17-point outing in his most recent game, a close loss to the Indiana Pacers. What makes this even more impressive, is that Risacher didn’t record a single turnover in his 37-point, two-game stretch.

Risacher’s recent success is in part due to the absence of Atlanta’s second-leading scorer in forward Jalen Johnson. Risacher is taking it upon himself to fill this scoring void next to Trae Young, playing above his season average of 11.1 points per game.

While he still has ways to go in terms of consistency, Risacher has flashed multiple brilliant performances throughout this season. He’s become the only teenager in NBA history to record multiple 30-point games with zero turnovers, and this efficiency has been a common theme in Risacher’s best games. At just 19 years old, he’s already a disruptive perimeter defender and streaky scorer from both two-point and three-point range; as he finds more consistency through experience, Risacher has a chance to make an immense two-way impact for the Hawks.

He will have many valuable reps to improve with over the rest of the season with his elevated role.

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