Hawks No. 1 Pick Zaccharie Risacher Receives New Midseason Report Card Grade

Heading into the season, there was a lot of chatter about how weak the 2024 NBA rookie class was. So far, it is hard to argue that there is a superstar that will emerge from this class, but there have been plenty of impact players who are helping their teams.

While he is not putting up eye-popping stats, especially for a No. 1 overall pick, Atlanta Hawks rookie Zaccharie Risacher has shown flashes of having the tools to be an impact player in the league. He is rarely out of position as a defender and he processes things well on offense, rarely taking bad shots. Where he needs to improve is his shooting (under 30% three-point this season) and his ball handling. The good news is that one of Risacher's strengths pre-draft was his shooting ability and he is still young. He has time to grow into his frame and improve his shooting numbers and become a high-level 3-and-D player in the NBA.

When evaluating his season so far, what grade should Risacher get? Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz was recently grading all of the rookies and gave Risacher what I would consider a fair grade:

"No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher continues to show flashes of good feel and a well-rounded profile that will one day make him a positive contributor (if not a star) on both ends. But that eye-test analysis has to be weighed against a statistical profile that falls far short of modest expectations for a top pick—even in a draft class that currently looks as weak as advertised.

Risacher's best month as a three-point shooter was November, when he hit just 29.9 percent of his treys. His assist-to-turnover ratio is almost exactly 1-to-1, and the Atlanta Hawks score at a rate that ranks in the 10th percentile when Risacher is on the floor, a damning stat considering he spends most of his minutes with the starting five.

You can still see the potential for the 19-year-old to become a quality three-and-D wing, but Risacher's present production leaves a lot to be desired."

Grade: C

Risacher does a lot of little things well and has the makings of an impact player on both ends of the floor, which fits in perfectly with this Hawks team. Atlanta has started to build a team of long, athletic wing players and high level defenders around Trae Young (Dyson Daniels for example) and it is paying off. Risacher is a core piece for Atlanta going forward and though he has struggled in various areas this season, the upside shows and I think this pick will pay-off in the long term.

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