Moderators: HMFFL, dms269, Jamaaliver
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Zaccharie Risacher: « I know the Hawks have confidence in me. I'm super excited about the idea of returning to Atlanta »
In front of the press yesterday in Pau, Zacch told us about the NBA
And no, he didn't "get an explanation for his drop in playing time." Jamaaliver wrote:ZR is still saying all the right things.
(I don't believe a word of it, BTW.)Code: Select all
Zaccharie Risacher: « I know the Hawks have confidence in me. I'm super excited about the idea of returning to Atlanta »
In front of the press yesterday in Pau, Zacch told us about the NBA
And no, he didn't "get an explanation for his drop in playing time."
jayu70 wrote:The fact that most fans were confused, leads me to believe he was too.
The only thing Quin said to start April was he was preparing his playoff rotation.
The birthday DNP was shocking- you could tell Zacc was not expecting that.
Zaccharie Risacher is not on the French national team roster for the August FIBA games. According to France's head coach Frédéric Fauthoux, while they originally wanted to include him for training and qualifiers, he and several other NBA players had to prioritize other personal and professional commitments. [1, 2]
Without Quin we wouldn't have seen the great success that was the Keaton-Kennard-Krecji lineup or Kisperttbhawksfan1 wrote:What a waste. I knew QS should have been let go
The AthleticHow can Zaccharie Risacher turn his career around?
On Sunday, Zaccharie Risacher became the NBA’s first No. 1 pick since 2017 to not make it to his third year with the team that drafted him. The Hawks traded Risacher, the top pick in 2024, to Dallas in a three-team deal that also sent Lu Dort to Atlanta.
Markelle Fultz was the last former top pick not to make it to Year 3 with his initial team, and there were extenuating circumstances, to say the least, in that case. Anthony Bennett (No. 1 in 2013) went from Cleveland to Minnesota in the Kevin Love trade after just one season with the Cavaliers. Before that, Elton Brand was the last No. 1 pick traded before his third year, going from the Bulls to the Clippers.
Christian Clark:Code: Select all
For a player to be considered a bust, I think the gap between the expectations placed on him and the player’s actual production needs to be massive. Risacher was undeniably disappointing in Atlanta, but I don’t think he quite meets this criterion. Perhaps then-Hawks general manager Landry Fields viewed Risacher as a future star, but I don’t think many draft analysts felt this way. Our Sam Vecenie had Risacher as the fifth player on his big board, for example, in what was considered a weak 2024 class.
Jason Jones:Code: Select all
“Bust” is a term I’ve always made me cringe — it just feels so mean — but I’ll play along here. In today’s NBA, I’d say if that player doesn’t have his third-year option picked up and is out of the league within five seasons, he is a bust. Picking up the third year is a given for any first-round pick that’s shown some level of competence. That happened last year with Atlanta, so Risacher isn’t quite a bust yet. But this season in Dallas will say a lot about that label. If he has no impact and is out of the league after this season, that word will follow him.
Law Murray:Code: Select all
We’re obviously only here because Risacher was the No. 1 pick of his draft, a class that one agent told me that he was happy not to have any clients in. The Hawks won the wrong lottery. Where does Risacher go in the 2023, 2025 or 2026 drafts at 19 years old? Anytime I have ever written about Risacher, most recently in the developmental corps project before the draft, I’ve described how he’s not the on-ball presence that most top overall picks are. A top overall pick who is a bust is one that falls far below basketball production expectations. Risacher is a bust for the Hawks, but that doesn’t mean that he has to be a bust overall, and he still has his health and a professional-caliber skill set. Now, Risacher will need to display some resolve and perseverance as well.
The AthleticWas the Hawks’ mistake drafting for need over talent? What else is there to consider in this case?
Christian Clark:Code: Select all
I think a general rule is to avoid drafting players No. 1 who don’t already have at least one elite skill. I’m not going to sit here and pretend like I was watching Risacher play every single night in the Euroleague, but I never saw him impact the game in one way that wowed me before the Hawks chose him. At draft time, I was a proponent of the Hawks taking Reed Sheppard with the first pick because I thought he was such a special shooter. (Sheppard converted a ridiculous 52.1 percent of his 3s at Kentucky.)
I think it’s safe to say that Stephon Castle has been the best player from the 2024 class. Castle was an exceptional point-of-attack defender in college, and that has translated to the NBA. He was invaluable in the Spurs’ run to the NBA Finals earlier this year.
Jason Jones:Code: Select all
Drafting for need with the first pick is always bad, unless your need happens to be whoever is at the top of the draft board. It’s clear Castle should have been the first pick, but the Hawks tried to fill a need. The lack of a consensus top player complicated things. The Hawks also don’t have a great history of getting things right in the draft. Risacher is just the latest example.
Law Murray:Code: Select all
Not to be rude, but the Hawks were in a state of mistake in general in 2024. The only players still left on the team from the end of the 2023-24 season are Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu and Mouhamed Gueye. They didn’t pick a player like Stephon Castle because they just flunked the Trae Young/Dejounte Murray partnership, and I can see how Castle and the incoming Dyson Daniels would have been a struggle. The real issue for the Hawks in the 2024 draft is that they were still trying to salvage the Trae Young era. That’s really what didn’t work, and ironically, once Young left, it never got better in Atlanta for Risacher either. Onsi Saleh has turned that team over significantly.
Mavericks take a chance on former top pick Zaccharie Risacher
Atlanta’s slew of wings put Risacher on the outs as the Hawks sent Risacher to the Mavericks in the Dort deal. Dallas gave up Ryan Nembhard and a second-round pick to acquire the former top pick, a small price to pay for a player who should still be seen as a high-ceiling prospect. Risacher isn’t your typical top pick; he doesn’t have the star power of guys like Cooper Flagg, AJ Dybantsa or Victor Wembanyama. However, he’s still only 21 years old with an improving three-point shot and the length to make an impact on both sides of the ball.
It makes sense for Risacher to go to a rebuilding franchise like the Mavs who are fully in the Flagg era. They still have a number of wings like P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall and Max Christie who could get in Risacher’s way, but he should see a healthy amount of playing time through the change of scenery.
Jamaaliver wrote:The AthleticWas the Hawks’ mistake drafting for need over talent? What else is there to consider in this case?
Christian Clark:Code: Select all
I think a general rule is to avoid drafting players No. 1 who don’t already have at least one elite skill. I’m not going to sit here and pretend like I was watching Risacher play every single night in the Euroleague, but I never saw him impact the game in one way that wowed me before the Hawks chose him. At draft time, I was a proponent of the Hawks taking Reed Sheppard with the first pick because I thought he was such a special shooter. (Sheppard converted a ridiculous 52.1 percent of his 3s at Kentucky.)
I think it’s safe to say that Stephon Castle has been the best player from the 2024 class. Castle was an exceptional point-of-attack defender in college, and that has translated to the NBA. He was invaluable in the Spurs’ run to the NBA Finals earlier this year.
Jason Jones:Code: Select all
Drafting for need with the first pick is always bad, unless your need happens to be whoever is at the top of the draft board. It’s clear Castle should have been the first pick, but the Hawks tried to fill a need. The lack of a consensus top player complicated things. The Hawks also don’t have a great history of getting things right in the draft. Risacher is just the latest example.
Law Murray:Code: Select all
Not to be rude, but the Hawks were in a state of mistake in general in 2024. The only players still left on the team from the end of the 2023-24 season are Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu and Mouhamed Gueye. They didn’t pick a player like Stephon Castle because they just flunked the Trae Young/Dejounte Murray partnership, and I can see how Castle and the incoming Dyson Daniels would have been a struggle. [B]The real issue for the Hawks in the 2024 draft is that they were still trying to salvage the Trae Young era.[/b] That’s really what didn’t work, and ironically, once Young left, it never got better in Atlanta for Risacher either. Onsi Saleh has turned that team over significantly.
HMFFL wrote:However, all of these opinions will go silent, if Zacch produces. Then they'll write how the Hawks front office screwed up even more by moving on from Zacch.
Mavericks FansidedRisacher is listed at 6-foot-8 and 200 pounds. He's looked like a lanky ball-handler, but after revealing his transformation in the weight room, he already looks much different. Is this a chip on his shoulder after the noise from his first two seasons? Either way, we can see a much different version of the No. 1 pick from before.
These stats are usless since he was playing for Coach Quin.Jamaaliver wrote:HMFFL wrote:However, all of these opinions will go silent, if Zacch produces. Then they'll write how the Hawks front office screwed up even more by moving on from Zacch.
