2024-25 Atlanta Hawks Roster Preview: Zaccharie Risacher

How will the No. 1 overall pick contribute to Atlanta' s success in 2024-25 as the presumptive third option behind Trae Young and Jalen Johnson?

Jul 12, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) looks to pass the ball against the Washington Wizards during the first half at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images / Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Age: 19

Height, Weight: 6'9, 215

2023-24 Averages: N/A

Career Averages: N/A

The role of Zaccharie Risacher in 2024-25 is going to be one of the most interesting subplots of the Atlanta Hawks season.

After being selected with the 1st overall pick, the range of expectations for Risacher is rather large. The last three 1st overall picks - Victor Wembanyama, Paolo Banchero and Cade Cunningham - all stepped into main roles on their teams as the first or second option. However, it would be unfair to put that same expectation on Risacher for three reasons.

First, his team's context is much better than the context of a usual team that picks first overall. Trae Young and Jalen Johnson are firmly established as the first and second options for a team that finished as a play-in caliber lineup in 2023-24. Bogdan Bogdanovic is also one of the best offensive role players in basketball. In short, Risacher's situation is one that does not demand him to take a large share of touches right away.

Secondly, Risacher's skillset is different from those other players. His immediate role in Atlanta's lineup will be as a catch-and-shoot wing who can function as a long defender on the perimeter. During his last season at JL St Bourg, he shot 38.7% on 3.7 attempts a game from deep. Now, it should be noted that this was the first year of Risacher producing on consistent volume as a three-point shooter. However, he is still only 19 and it's entirely reasonable to expect he can be a good shooter at the next level. While the shot did not fall for him in Summer League, he showed he was comfortable putting those attempts up in the flow of the offense.

On defense, Atlanta desparetely needs the length and mobility he provides as a perimeter defender. Having Dyson Daniels in the lineup will certainly help as he can hold up against most guards. However, Atlanta could use more options against bigger wings. Between Johnson and Risacher, I expect this will be less of a problem for the 2024-25 Hawks. Risacher consistently puts pressure on ball-handlers and is quick enough to stay with most players. He also showed a good sense for rotating correctly and operating within a defensive scheme. It will be interesting to see exactly how good his defense is as a rookie and I would expect this to take time to develop. That being said, I would not be surprised if he becomes a solid defender by the end of his rookie campaign.

Thirdly, the Hawks themselves have different aspirations than the usual team picking first overall. They do not have control over their own first-round picks over the next three seasons (2025, 2026, 2027) after trading them to the San Antonio Spurs. Therefore, the Hawks cannot operate on the usual timeline for a rebuilding team that just picked at the top of the draft. Unless they trade Young, there are no clear indications that Atlanta is moving towards a rebuild. Risacher being able to contribute to winning basketball will be of more importance than it normally is for the first overall pick. In order for that to happen, he might only focus on being an effective shooter and solid defender rather than growing his self-creation abilities in the way that other 1st overall picks have.

One area of his game that I am interested to see in his rookie year is his passing. Risacher's passing was fairly solid in Summer League and I wonder if he can be a real connective piece for Atlanta's offense as a rookie.

In 2024-25, the primary goal for Risacher should be to become a functional 3&D player. Young wings are incredibly hard to develop into self-creators - that process takes time. Risacher likely will not be close to his potential as a rookie, but he can still be an effective player for Atlanta. It is simply a matter of him finding a way to carve out an effective role and build his skillset out from there.

Best-Case Scenario: Risacher is a good shooter on reasonable volume (37% on four attempts a game) and competes hard on defense as a solid 3&D wing with real flashes of creation upside. He surprises as a passer and slots in perfectly as the third option behind Young and Johnson.

Worst-Case Scenario: Risacher's shot does not come along in the way that Atlanta was envisioning and he struggles throughout the season to be a respectable shooter from deep. He competes on defense, but cannot make an impact as a two-way player due to not being physically ready for the NBA.