Updated NBA Rookie Grades: B/R Gives Zaccharie Risacher An Interesting Grade For His Season

The Atlanta Hawks moved to 30-34 last night after their win over the Indiana Pacers and they moved up to the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. While Jalen Johnson's injury put a damper on the Hawks season, this was a transitional year for this roster as they figured out what new pieces could be building blocks for the future. One of those players that was going to be watched this season was 2024 No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher. Risacher was the top pick in an unheralded draft class, but he had a lot of traits that the Hawks were looking for. He was a long, athletic wing player with a good ability to shoot and he was projected to be a high level role player in the league.

After a bumpy start, Risacher has made big strides over the past couple of months, especially when it comes to shooting. He still has a chance to earn the NBA's Rookie of the Year award and in a recent article grading teams draft classes, Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes gave Risacher and the Hawks a "B"

Top pick Zaccharie Risacher has quietly heated up from the perimeter over the last several weeks, and he's now shooting over 40.0 percent from deep since Jan. 1. Though his full-season mark from long range is still well below the league average, Risacher is at least giving the Atlanta Hawks a glimpse of the premium shooting they hoped he'd develop.

Next steps for Risacher include growing as a connective passer and leveraging his length to be a bit more disruptive on D. An assist-to-usage rate that sits in the 9th percentile among forwards won't cut it, even in a smaller role. And Risacher needs to at least get his steal rate up above the 50th percentile. He has good mobility and instincts, so the Hawks would surely like to see an uptick in deflections.

Billed as a high-end support piece with a sub-star ceiling, Risacher is delivering on those modest expectations."

Grade: B

Risacher is shooting 47% from three so far in the month of March and just last Monday, he had a 27-point performance vs the Memphis Grizzlies. He was also awarded the NBA's Rookie of the Month for February.

In 12 games played during the month of February, Risacher averaged 12.8 points, the second-most points per game amongst Eastern Conference rookies and third-most amongst all rookies, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 25.7 minutes of action (.474 FG%, .440 3FG%, .778 FT%). He netted 10-or-more points in 10 of his 12 games, the most such games by an Eastern Conference rookie during the month and tied for the most by any rookie.

Among all first-year players in February, Risacher ranked second in total points (153), third in total made field goals (55), second in total made three-pointers (22), ninth in field goal percentage (.474%), fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.440%) and 10th in free throw percentage (.778%).

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft logged over 300 minutes in February, while committing only 13 turnovers. He became the first Eastern Conference rookie this season to total 300+ minutes, 150+ points and 50+ rebounds while committing less than 15 turnovers in a single month (min. 10 games played) and the second rookie to do so this season. Risacher is also just the third Hawks rookie to do so in a single month, regardless of minutes played, joining Paul Graham (January 1992) and Stacey Augmon (December 1991), per Elias Sports.

In six road games during the month, the 6-9 forward averaged 15.0 points on .582 FG% (32-55 FGM), .522 3FG% (12-23 3FGM) and .778 FT% (14-18 FTM), becoming the only player in the NBA in February (not only rookies), to average at least 15.0 points on .550/.500/.750 shooting splits on the road (min. five road games).

Risacher owned a 119.0 offensive rating in February, per NBA.com/Stats, the best offensive rating by an Eastern Conference rookie this past month (min. 10 games) and the best by any rookie who played in at least 10 games and averaged at least 15.0 minutes per contest.

The Hawks are going to be counting on Risacher to be one of their key building blocks for the future and he has flashed his abilities over the past couple of months.

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