Zaccharie Risacher Finishes 2nd In Rookie of the Year Voting Behind Spurs Guard Stephon Castle

While Atlanta Hawks rookie Zaccharie Risacher made a compelling case to win it, San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle has won the 2024-2025 NBA Rookie of the year. He also won it decisively. Castle garnered 92 first place votes while Risacher only had five.

Zaccharie Risacher officially finished 2nd in Rookie of the Year voting. pic.twitter.com/tG02lb6lpS
— Brad Rowland (@BTRowland) April 29, 2025

NBA insider Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports recently published his ballot and although he ended up choosing Castle, he outlined why Risacher made a compelling case:

"Risacher closed the gap hard to end the season: He finished with 12.7 points per game, 35.5% from 3, filled gaps as a smart cutter and played strong defense for a rookie forward. And after Jan. 30, he hit 42.4% from deep, which was a scorching stretch that flipped the narrative on his jumper after a rocky start. As a No. 1 pick, he may lack traditional upside, but played a polished style and still managed to have some big scoring nights."

He dinged Risacher for his lack of isolation and foul-drawing, as well as his matchup difficulty. Those are fair points to consider, but I'd argue that Risacher's ability to fit into the Hawks offense and his improvements are being undersold. During Castle's rookie season, he finished as a 28.5% shooter on 4.1 attempts from deep and made 72.4% of the 4.2 free throw attempts he drew. Conversely, Risacher finished as a 35.5% shooter from deep on 4.6 attempts per game and a 71.1% shooter from the charity stripe on 2 attempts per game. Although Castle's ability to draw fouls is a good indicator of star upside, there's no question that Risacher's ability to space the floor is a better fit on a broader variety of teams. Furthermore, saying that Risacher "improved" as a shooter is underselling it. From October through December, he never eclipsed 30% shooting from three-point range and just wasn't a consistent threat on the perimeter. That shouldn't be much of a surprise - he's a 19 year old wing and young wings traditionally take at least two or three seasons, if not longer, to develop.

However, he shot 39.3% from deep in the month of January due to improved shot selection and becoming more comfortable in the offense. Furthermore, he created the highest percentage of his shots for himself during that month. After taking only 28 three-pointers in January, he upped his volume during February (50 attempts) and March (84 attempts), improving his percentage to 44% in February before falling back down to 39.3% from deep in March. That's a three-month sample size of him being a respectable shooter even without the 15 threes he's made in April, good for a percentage of 39.5% on the month thus far. Making a 10% jump in three-point percentages and essentially maintaining that level isn't just improvement - it's a leap. Now, he shot under 30% on above-the-break threes. Those are among the toughest three-pointers and it's indicative that he isn't quite an elite shooter. However, he did finish with a combined 44% shooting percentage on the 146 corner threes he attempted. It isn't the largest sample size, but those are valuable shots for him to be taking and making at such a young age.

That's all before mentioning how good Risacher is as an off-ball player. He has a great sense of space and cuts at the right time to capitalize on the gravity of Trae Young. For all the hype about Castle's finishing at the rim, Risacher posted a shooting percentage of 65.1% at the rim compared to Castle's percentage of 65.5%. He did it in 100 fewer attempts, but Risacher also plays with Young, meaning his opportunities to initiate offense and create his own shot are more limited. He doesn't have the ball in his hands as much as Castle, which bears out in Castle having a usage percentage of 26% while Risacher is only at 20.9%. It's fair to say Castle is a better finisher right now, but Risacher also had fewer opportunities to get downhill and played a very different role. In the limited chances he got to make plays for others, he's a smart player who sees passing lines and identifies rollers heading to the rim. He also has a solid handle for such a young wing as he can put the ball on the floor and do something with it.

Additional Links

New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Giannis to Orlando Magic, Hawks Get Okongwu Insurance

New Blockbuster Trade Proposal Sends Kevin Durant to the Heat, Hawks Land Versatile Defender

2024-2025 Atlanta Hawks Season Grades: Dyson Daniels