All Hawks

What we learned from Zaccharie Risacher in Year One and What to Expect Moving Forward

After having an impactful rookie season in Atlanta, the Hawks' first overall draft pick is looking to take a leap forward next season.
Kahlil McCuller|
Apr 11, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) dunks against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Apr 11, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) dunks against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

In this story:

Atlanta Hawks

In June of 2024, the Atlanta Hawks found themselves sitting at a crossroads as the team struggled with a backcourt of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray in year two of the All-Star pairing. The team had missed the playoffs with a lopsided 36-46 record and lost the Play-In Tournament game against the Chicago Bulls. After this, the Hawks would earn the number one overall NBA Draft pick in the 2024 draft, where they would end up getting French forward Zaccharie Risacher.

In the NBA Summer League, Risacher had shown promise as he averaged 14 points at just 19 years old and had some solid performances. He was shut down after two Summer League games due to a strained left adductor, leading to him getting ready for the NBA regular season and at this point, he had impressed former ESPN analyst Jonathan Givony, who stated the following:

"Some early nerves from Zaccharie Risacher gave way to a confident offensive performance that demonstrated his shotmaking versatility, feel for the game and all-around skill level that made him the draft's No. 1 pick.

He hit three of his nine 3-point attempts, including a pretty escape dribble pullup and a deep spot-up off a kickout pass. He was given more shot-creation freedom than previously seen in France, aggressively transitioning the ball, spraying passes unselfishly all over the floor, showing nice pace getting to the rim fluidly and finishing skillfully off the glass with his off hand out of pick-and-roll. He hunted pullup 3s all game with mixed results and still has a ways to go with his handle and ability to play through contact on both ends, clearly needing to add strength to his 195-pound frame.

It was not the most impressive performance of the weekend, but there are quite a few positives to take away overall, as he scored in a variety of ways, despite the lack of hierarchy and playmaking on the Hawks' roster after losing starting point guard Kobe Bufkin to injury just days prior.”

Zaccharie Risacher Atlanta Hawk
Apr 18, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) shoots over Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

To start his rookie season, Risacher struggled in his first month, appearing in only two games in which he scored double-digit points. As the season progressed, Risacher started to find his footing, as he scored 33 points in a game against the New York Knicks and would go on to score double digits 11 times in November. His good play didn't come without some struggles, as Risacher pointed out that he was struggling to keep up with the American style of play, as he saw his competition being more athletic than him, compared to playing in France.

Risacher would flash his future potential as he would go on to have some big performances throughout the season, specifically, where he would score 36 against the Milwaukee Bucks, 30 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, and 38 against the Brooklyn Nets, which put him as the only rookie with multiple 35 or more scoring games this season.

Unfortunately, in two of the biggest games to end the season, the Play-In Tournament, Risacher had more rookie struggles as he scored seven points against the Orlando Magic and three points against the Miami Heat, where he shot under 30% in both performances. His shooting should be a central working area in his offseason, specifically, his offensive consistency, as he's shown the ability to score big at times but finds himself as a lesser volume scorer in most games.

Now that Risacher is heading into year two under head coach Quin Snyder, we should expect him to potentially get more offensive freedom and better chemistry with his teammates. It remains to be seen if he will get the starting nod or not, as ESPN has him listed as coming off the bench on the depth chart. That could change after training camp, but if it doesn't, however, this could still prove to be positive, as Risacher would get the opportunity to get a feel for how the game is going that day and not provide as much pressure to perform like he would have in the starting lineup against starting-level competition. Who knows? But Risacher could be in the running for Sixth Man of the Year if this were to happen.

This summer, Risacher has been involved in EuroBasket for France, where he has taken a notable step forward and has provided some highlight plays. He has also put on some muscle weight during the offseason and looks to have improved with his jumper and dunking.

Some other improvements that I expect from Risacher in year two are his defensive impact, taking on more challenging assignments, and starting to average at least one steal or block based on his size, athleticism, and quickness. Offensively, he creates more shot creation by himself, has a higher three-point shooting percentage, and scores better on driving layups, as he only finished 29% according to NBA.com.

Based on his stats this season, I would likely expect him to leap from 12.6 points per game to around the 16-18 mark based on his ability to shoot and improved scoring inside the paint. The areas that Risacher could surprise fans with are his playmaking, ball handling, and shot selection, as he struggled in those areas this season.

One of the more important things to remember is that Risacher is a long-term piece who is only 19 years old as of today, but if his leap is anything like expected or even more, Atlanta's youth may start to see more wins sooner rather than later.

More Atlanta Hawks News:

Published
Kahlil McCuller
KAHLIL MCCULLER

Kahlil McCuller started covering Virginia Tech Athletics for Virginia Tech On SI in July 2024 and the Atlanta Hawks For Atlanta Hawks On SI since April 2025. Kahlil is also the co-host of the Burg Bros Sports Podcast and has extensive experience in the sports industry with a high knowledge of both professional and collegiate sports. His work concentrates on comprehensive and insightful analysis, making him a highly reliable source in the sports media industry.

Share on XFollow Kahlil_McCuller
Home/News