Trae Young on Zaccharie Risacher's Debut: "He is going to have a hell of a career"

Risacher scored 18 points in his first ever NBA game last night and looked the part of a No. 1 pick

Oct 8, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) in action against the Indiana Pacers during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks played their first preseason game last night and for a preseason game in the NBA, it went about as well as it could have for the Hawks, particularly for this year's No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher. Risacher scored 18 points on 7-9 shooting, while also grabbing three rebounds and dishing out two assists. He looked comfortable in the game in all aspects and that is what you wanted to see if you were a Hawks fan.

After the game, Hawks point guard Trae Young talked about the way that Risacher played and had nothing but high praise for him.

""Yeah, I hate that this was not the first game of the season where it counts for real because that was a hell of a performance and a hell of a start. I wanted him to feel like how he felt tonight like there is no pressure on him, he can go out there and be himself and he played like he did tonight. He shot the ball really well and has a great feel for the game and can make the right reads, obviously, he is going to make some turnovers and make some mistakes, but he is going to have a hell of a career."

Risacher was happy that his debut went well:

"I was super excited for the game. This whole process you know, training camp and everything, that was the start of something great I think, yeah I was super excited and I am glad that it went well."

Young looked like himself tonight, scoring 17 points and dishing out six assists, but the Hawks's superstar point guard was not the highlight of the night. The main highlight tonight would be the play by Risacher and Jalen Johnson. Many around the NBA are expecting yet another leap from Johnson this season and tonight was an excellent start. Johnson finished the game with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals in 22 minutes. Johnson looked in sync with Young on offense and made his presence felt defensively. It is just one preseason game, but Johnson was excellent tonight.

Risacher is off to a great start in his NBA Career and last night might be the start of something very special.