Where should Zacc Risacher begin his Rookie Season?

[Jamaaliver]

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[Jamaaliver]

Let me begin by saying, ZR was not my top choice for #1. I do think he's easily an NBA player, but taking guys at #1 with limited creation skills has a tendency to age poorly in hindsight. I will say, I liked what I saw from Zacc in Summer League. In only 2 games, he showed poise, polish, High IQ and playmaking that is really encouraging.

He'll need to work on his handle first and foremost.
He also needs to add weight/muscle to tussle with larger NBA wings.

I don't know much about the French LNB Elite league where he played last season, but I presume it is a more competitive, better coached league than the G-League.

With that in mind, I don't believe Zacc gets a ton of benefit from playing in the G-League. I'm not against it, particularly if he struggles to get minutes early with the big league team. But he likely gets more from practicing, traveling with the Hawks and their assistant coaches.

There's also a matter of becoming accustomed to a new league, in a new city, in a new country, speaking a different language -- for a teenager. This is an underrated concern, but when listening to him speak, he typically takes a few extra moments to verbalize during interviews. I imagine this will be an obstacle early during practices and games.

[Jamaaliver]

Since we are (understandably) trying to win this season, I say he should stay with the big league club - but he'll need to earn his way into rotation minutes. He can learn/adjust in the shadows from Assistant Coaches Igor Kokoskov and Ryan Schmidt until he's ready.

Bogdan/Hunter/Kobe/Dyson should all be ahead of him to start the season.

[Jamaaliver]

Start, Bench or G-League?

No. 1 Pick: Zaccharie Risacher



Role: Starter

Usage type: Spot-up scorer

It's reasonable to expect the Atlanta Hawks will start the player they just took No. 1 overall.

Trading Dejoute Murray for 21-year-old Dyson Daniels and draft picks also suggests there isn't as much pressure to win now as it once seemed. The Hawks figure to give Zaccharie Risacher a longer runway to play through mistakes and develop. But he's also coming off an efficient year starting in LNB Pro A, and his athleticism, shotmaking and defensive tools suggest he should already be ready for a three-and-D role in Atlanta.

It does seem like Risacher is in a good spot, where he can rely on Trae Young and Jalen Johnson for creation, playmaking and gravity. The 19-year-old figures to spend most of his time scoring in transition and spotting up, similar to what he did with JL Bourg.

Improving his handle and self-creation will be longer-term goals. In the meantime, Risacher will make the biggest impact as a rookie with his athleticism on the open floor, capitalizing on space, shooting and perimeter shot contesting.

Bleacher Report

[jayu70]

Start, Bench or G-League?

No. 1 Pick: Zaccharie Risacher



Role: Starter

Usage type: Spot-up scorer

It's reasonable to expect the Atlanta Hawks will start the player they just took No. 1 overall.

Trading Dejoute Murray for 21-year-old Dyson Daniels and draft picks also suggests there isn't as much pressure to win now as it once seemed. The Hawks figure to give Zaccharie Risacher a longer runway to play through mistakes and develop. But he's also coming off an efficient year starting in LNB Pro A, and his athleticism, shotmaking and defensive tools suggest he should already be ready for a three-and-D role in Atlanta.

It does seem like Risacher is in a good spot, where he can rely on Trae Young and Jalen Johnson for creation, playmaking and gravity. The 19-year-old figures to spend most of his time scoring in transition and spotting up, similar to what he did with JL Bourg.

Improving his handle and self-creation will be longer-term goals. In the meantime, Risacher will make the biggest impact as a rookie with his athleticism on the open floor, capitalizing on space, shooting and perimeter shot contesting.

Bleacher Report

If he's starting, I'm starting him at the 2. Between Trae and Hunter.
Zacc guards the lighter wings
Hunter guards the bigger wings.
They can also be switchable.

[atlantabbq99]

I'll say the same thing when Matt Ryan was a rookie....... Start the kid!

Zac and Hunter should man the SG/SF spot. Just make the adjustments and assignments depending on matchups

[Jamaaliver]

Would you say the guy drafted #1 overall starts in year one most of the time?

You act like you don't even want Zacch to be on the ballot for rookie of the year.

So looking up recent top-5 NBA Draft Picks who made the playoffs as rookies, looks like both Keegan Murray in the 2022 draft class and Scottie Barnes in 2021 draft class each started most (all?) of their available games for a competitive playoff bound team. So there is definite precednt in recent years.

Keegan was much older than Scott or Zacc. Both of those guys are combo forwards with bigger bodies than Zacc.

But I digress.

[Jamaaliver]

After months of pondering Zacc's addition to the Hawks, I've come to 3 conclusions.

1. Zaccharie Risacher is a solid, if underwhelming, selection as the #1 pick in his draft class.

He has a high floor as a 3 & D specialist with good basketball IQ and vision. The Hawks chose a player who fits a real need for the roster: off ball scorer, elite cutter, improving 3-pt shooter, effective perimeter defender. In the absence of top end, elite talent, getting a surefire contributor who fills a pressing need at the top of a sub-par draft class ain't a bad option.

NOTE: There is almost zero chance Risacher ends up as the "best player" from this draft class.


2. The G-League probably shouldn't be a part of Risacher's development plan.

Given that the young Frenchman has played so many games in high end European pro leagues, the NBA's minor league system is a less than ideal proving ground for the rookie. The College Park SkyHawks would be a step down in competition for a player as accomplished as Risacher. He's better served practicing and playing a minor role in competitive games with the main team while developing under the tutelage of Hawks Coach Quin Snyder and the rest of his staff. Now if things go well for the Hawks and Playing time is hard to come by for Zacc, then a few spot starts in College Park aren't completely out of the question. But let's make that Plan B.


3. Risacher should begin the season off the bench in Atlanta.

He's an experienced pro with roughly a hundred games played in Europe over the last 18 months. But he's still a teenage rookie in a foreign country learning a new offense...in a new league...in a secondary language. It makes sense to lessen the kid's learning curve by easing him into a larger role throughout the season.

I know that most #1 overall picks generally start immediately. But this isn't most situations. Zacc's not an elite contributor; Atlanta isn't a doormat. This Hawks squad is a veteran-laden, competitive team with a clear incentive to win games. Similarly, The Rockets and Spurs selected in the top-4 of this draft but are hoping to compete this coming season. As such, neither Reed Sheppard or Steph Castle are expected to begin the season as starters.

Thoughts?
Concerns?
Predictions?

[tbhawksfan1]

Don't care which minutes he plays as long as there are 25 of them between SF and sneak him on for a few minutes at SG

[HMFFL]

Don't care which minutes he plays as long as there are 25 of them between SF and sneak him on for a few minutes at SG

25mpg sounds about right to begin with.
I'm intrigued to see how Trae Young is as a leader to Zaach and this team now that Dejounte Murray is gone.

Dejounte Murray's team leading 18.8 field goal attempts and Saddiq Bey's 11.1 should leave enough attempts for our #1 pick.



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[tbhawksfan1]

Don't care which minutes he plays as long as there are 25 of them between SF and sneak him on for a few minutes at SG

25mpg sounds about right to begin with.
I'm intrigued to see how Trae Young is as a leader to Zaach and this team now that Dejounte Murray is gone.

Dejounte Murray's team leading 18.8 field goal attempts and Saddiq Bey's 11.1 should leave enough attempts for our #1 pick.



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Thanks for reminding of the misery that last season was

[Jamaaliver]

This is...not well written.

Can Zaccharie Risacher immediately contribute for the Hawks?



The Atlanta Hawks unexpectedly obtained the first pick in the 2024 NBA Draft despite low odds. With that first overall pick, the team selected French wing Zaccharie Risacher. The skilled wing’s specialties are his ability to be a deadly three-point shooter and his defensive versatility. Additionally, Risacher has a good feel for the game and has flashed upside as a playmaker. While Risacher didn’t have the greatest performance at Summer League, he did show display his defensive potential and athleticism.

Given his draft position and skill set, the big question that Risacher has to answer is whether or not he can be an immediate contributor to the Hawks. With Trae Young still on the roster as of this article, the Hawks are still in the playoff hunt. If Risacher can be counted on as a contributor then the effects of the Dejounte Murray trade will be lessened. His 3-and-D skill set should seamlessly fit into any Hawks lineup. Furthermore, his role on the team will be simple enough that there will be lower expectations for him. If he isn’t an immediate contributor, then the year will be mostly a developmental year for him. That will be beneficial in the long run, however, that doesn’t help any postseason aspirations with Young. Regardless, Risacher will get playing time this coming season and a chance to prove why the Hawks picked him.

Last Word on Sports

[Jamaaliver]

Certainly appears early that Zacc will start his career coming off the bench.

Seems a good way to ease him into the league.

Risacher, I think, has entered a unique situation where there’s not as much pressure entering the season as a number one pick as there would otherwise be. For this reason, it’s perfectly OK for him to come off the bench and ease into NBA life. I expect Risacher to go through the usual rookie ups and downs, I expect he’ll come off the bench, he’ll bring energy off the bench, he’ll bring some defense, and I think he’ll shoot well enough for his rookie season.

By all accounts from the Hawks, he works his ass off and he’s clearly got talent to go with it, so I expect there to be good development during the season such as that he will be in the starting lineup by the end of the season. I think there’s a strong rookie season incoming for Risacher, and I think he can end up averaging 10-12 points.

Peachtree Hoops

[jayu70]

Certainly appears early that Zacc will start his career coming off the bench.

Seems a good way to ease him into the league.

Risacher, I think, has entered a unique situation where there’s not as much pressure entering the season as a number one pick as there would otherwise be. For this reason, it’s perfectly OK for him to come off the bench and ease into NBA life. I expect Risacher to go through the usual rookie ups and downs, I expect he’ll come off the bench, he’ll bring energy off the bench, he’ll bring some defense, and I think he’ll shoot well enough for his rookie season.

By all accounts from the Hawks, he works his ass off and he’s clearly got talent to go with it, so I expect there to be good development during the season such as that he will be in the starting lineup by the end of the season. I think there’s a strong rookie season incoming for Risacher, and I think he can end up averaging 10-12 points.

Peachtree Hoops

I'll maintain what I said before, if he's starting it should be at SG.
There's a lot of hand ringing about Hunter starting, I'm not as concerned as this is about Zacc. It gives him a moment to get acclimated to thr real NBA with lout any expectations. Soon enough, we shall see Hunter transition to the bench if Zacc is as advertised.
I'll repeat, as long as whoever starts doesn't get us down.big in the 1st quarter, I don't care much. I want to see how the first 10 games look.

[HMFFL]

Certainly appears early that Zacc will start his career coming off the bench.

Seems a good way to ease him into the league.

Risacher, I think, has entered a unique situation where there’s not as much pressure entering the season as a number one pick as there would otherwise be. For this reason, it’s perfectly OK for him to come off the bench and ease into NBA life. I expect Risacher to go through the usual rookie ups and downs, I expect he’ll come off the bench, he’ll bring energy off the bench, he’ll bring some defense, and I think he’ll shoot well enough for his rookie season.

By all accounts from the Hawks, he works his ass off and he’s clearly got talent to go with it, so I expect there to be good development during the season such as that he will be in the starting lineup by the end of the season. I think there’s a strong rookie season incoming for Risacher, and I think he can end up averaging 10-12 points.

Peachtree Hoops

I'll maintain what I said before, if he's starting it should be at SG.
There's a lot of hand ringing about Hunter starting, I'm not as concerned as this is about Zacc. It gives him a moment to get acclimated to thr real NBA with lout any expectations. Soon enough, we shall see Hunter transition to the bench if Zacc is as advertised.
I'll repeat, as long as whoever starts doesn't get us down.big in the 1st quarter, I don't care much. I want to see how the first 10 games look.

10 games is all I need too.
I want a competitive team so whatever lineup can achieve it.
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[Jamaaliver]

Zacc gets his first career start in Game 3 thanks to a D Hunter injury.

Looking good early.

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[jayu70]

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[Jamaaliver]

Overheard during Zacc's first NBA start:

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[Jamaaliver]

Solid third start:

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