Zaccharie Risacher Given Surprisingly Low Rookie Of The Year Projection By NBA Analyst For the 2024-2025 Season

Could Zaccharie Risacher win Rookie of the Year this season?

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

NBA Summer League is over and now the NBA is going into what will probably be its quietest part of the offseason. The season is three months away and any basketball focus will be on the upcoming Olympic Games. That does not meant that it is not too early to talk about the upcoming season and the contenders for the awards.

It was said a lot leading up to the draft that this year did not have the kind of top talent that we are used to seeing at the top of the draft. That does not mean that there are not good players, but going into the season, there won't be a big favorite for Rookie of the Year like Victor Wembanyama was last season. That means that there could be a wide-open race for the award this year, but for a No. 1 overall pick, it feels like Zaccharie Risacher is getting slept on for the award. He is not the favorite to win it at most Sportsbooks and Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman ranked Risacher 7th in his Rookie of the Year Projections today:

"The Atlanta Hawks figure to give Zaccharie Risacher immediate minutes and freedom after drafting him No. 1 overall. He does seem to be in a favorable spot with a creator/playmaker like Trae Young and a power forward in Jalen Johnson who can handle, pass and generate gravity.

Risacher will be in position to play to his strengths as a transition finisher, off-ball shooter and spot-up slasher—the same role he excelled in last season with JL Bourg.

He's just going to be too much of a complementary weapon to consistently put up scoring numbers. Risacher also still needs work making plays for himself in the half court. He'll be reliant on open-floor opportunities, being set up and consistently making threes.

Risacher won't put up many supporting assist or rebounding stats to strengthen a Rookie of the Year case. And though he could be named the starter, he's still likely to split minutes with Bogdan Bogdanovic, De'Andre Hunter and newly acquired Dyson Daniels, whose defense was presumably a key selling point to Atlanta's front office."

Risacher was ranked behind Dalton Knecht (Lakers), Matas Buzelis (Bulls), Stephon Castle (Spurs), Rob Dillingham (T-Wolves), Zach Edey (Grizzlies), and Reed Sheppard (Rockets).

I think Risacher is getting slept on ahead of this year. He has a chance to start and other than Edey, I don't think any of the other players will start right away. Risacher is going to have a chance to impact the game in multiple ways, with his shooting and defensive ability and playing with Trae Young is going to get him easy shots. Those skills have a chance to have a major impact on the Hawks and if their record improves because of Risacher, I think he could end up being the favorite.

Wasserman talked about each rookie's role for the season and this is what he had to say about 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."

The biggest question standing in the way of whether Risacher starts for the Hawks is what they do with De'Andre Hunter. If they trade him, I think Risacher will almost certainly start, but what if the Hawks keep Hunter? Hunter played really well off the bench last season and could give the Hawks some depth at the wing position.

The Hawks are going to be counting on Risacher to improve them this year and I think he could hit the ground running.

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