NBA Analyst Poses Tough Question About Hawks No. 1 Pick Zaccharie Risacher

Risacher has been a starter nearly all season for the Hawks, even if he does not play huge minutes

Dec 11, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) controls the ball against New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA and made a run all the way to the NBA Cup Semifinals. Winners of seven of their last nine games, the Hawks look like a team that might be on the rise and one to watch the rest of the way. One of the reasons why is rookie No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher. Risacher has started close to every game for the Hawks and has shown flashes of having huge upside on the defensive end. Risacher brings length and athleticism and helps the Hawks on that end of the floor, but there has been one fatal flaw in his game to start his rookie year.

Risacher was regarded as a really good three-point shooter (although streaky) when he was coming into the league from France, but it has not translated consistently yet. Risacher is shooting just 27% from three and that is one reason that he is not playing major minutes yet. The main reason being that De'Andre Hunter is playing the best stretch of basketball in his career and shooting 45% from three and averaging close to 20 PPG. Should Risacher move to the bench and Hunter go into the starting lineup? Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes says that might be the toughest question for the Hawks right now:

"In a weak Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks have a chance to earn their highest finish since 2021, when they were the No. 5 seed and advanced all the way to the Conference Finals.

Accomplishing that will require putting their best players on the floor together as often as possible, and rookie Zaccharie Risacher hasn't been one of them.

De'Andre Hunter's minutes on the court coincide with a plus-5.1 boost to Atlanta's net rating (Risacher is a minus-3.9), and the two have essentially subbed in and out for one another all year. Risacher has been the starter with Hunter coming off the bench.

The 19-year-old was the top pick in the draft and is more important to Atlanta's long-term plans, but Hunter is averaging a career-best 19.6 points per game and shooting 44.6 percent from deep.

Better to trot him out with the starters and allow Risacher to cut his teeth against reserves."

I disagree with the notion of Risacher being benched and while it is important, the starting lineups are not the most important thing. Hunter is far ahead of Risacher, there is no questioning that, but he is still playing starter level minutes and closes games Risacher is doing a lot of little things right for the Hawks and at some point, the shot is going to start falling. The Hawks might be a surprise team and look like a legit playoff team, but they are still a franchise thinking about the future. Risacher is a huge part of that future and needs to start and try to earn more minutes. His development is vital for the Hawks future and part of that is going to be him taking his lumps as a starter and figuring things out on offense. Besides, Atlanta is winning when Hunter comes off the bench. Why mess that up?

Additional Links:

Key Takeaways From the Atlanta Hawks NBA Cup Run

RECAP: Atlanta's NBA Cup Run Ends in 110-102 Semifinals Loss to Milwaukee