Zaccharie Risacher enjoyed a very encouraging rookie season for the Atlanta Hawks. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft ultimately finished second in Rookie of the Year voting, but Risacher certainly lived up to the (relatively faint) billing in advance of the draft, particularly in the second half of his first season.
In the end, Risacher averaged 12.6 points per game as a key cog for a team that made the postseason, and he finished with 53.7 percent effective field goal shooting. That included a second-half run in which he converted more than 40 percent of his 3-pointers, and Risacher was also clearly able to operate as a reasonable cog of a defensive scheme as a 19-year-old for most of the season.
With that said, he does have things to work on in advance of his second season. Much like his teammate Dyson Daniels, the Hawks will be heavily reliant on the internal development of Risacher, especially because he is the only projected high-level shooter among the team's inner core.
Today, we'll put the spotlight on four areas of potential growth for Risacher in his second season and beyond. Some of them are related and, of course, it is worth remembering that Risacher just turned 20 years old with plenty of room to grow.
Zaccharie Risacher needs to get stronger
In advance of the 2024 NBA Draft, Risacher weighed in at 195 pounds at the combine. The team ultimately listed him at 200 pounds during the season, and it was clear that he had already added muscle when compared to his pre-draft profile. Still, everyone in the Hawks organization, including Risacher, has repeatedly acknowledged that he must get stronger.
Part of that manifests on defense, where Risacher has plenty of length to defend four positions, but he can get knocked off his spots by bigger forwards at this juncture. It also shows up on offense, particularly when Risacher moves toward the paint. All in all, Risacher has to get stronger to reach his ceiling, and that isn't a controversial stance.
Finishing at the rim
As noted above, some of Risacher's finishing challenges stem from a lack of strength. He can get bumped off his spot when driving to the rim and, while Risacher makes up for some of that with impressive craft and the ability to shoot with both hands, it would be easier if he could dole out punishment, rather than taking it.
According to Cleaning The Glass, Risacher was in the 34th percentile in shooting accuracy at the rim, which is a number that needs to come up in the future. What is encouraging is that Risacher is already soundly above the league average in generating shots at the rim, but marrying that with more efficiency would be big to unlock some of Risacher's higher-end scoring outcomes.
On-ball creation
There is a clear path to Risacher being a very, very good NBA player without becoming an on-ball star. After all, he is a 6'9 forward with real shooting chops, a strong feel for moving without the ball, and the chance to be a very good and impactful defender. However, there is an entirely different level he could reach with more juice off the bounce.
Risacher's ball-handling needs to improve to reach those outcomes, though it is notable that he had a very low turnover rate as a rookie. He also showed impressive passing chops at times in his first year, but Risacher mostly operated as a secondary creator at best. Part of the growth here would come from strength and aggressiveness, but handle and on-the-move shooting are part of the package as well.
Rebounding
As a rookie who spent a lot of time away from the rim, it isn't damning for Risacher that he was a poor rebounder at age 19. At the same time, it is potentially low-hanging fruit for him to make a bigger overall impact. He averaged 3.6 rebounds per game and 6.8 rebounds per 100 possessions this season. Risacher also finished with a paltry 11.1 percent defensive rebound rate that ranked him well behind Daniels, Vit Krejci, and Caris LeVert on his own team.
There are various lineup constructions that could push Risacher to the 4 in the future, simply because he has the size and defensive acumen to make that work. However, Risacher will need to rebound at a higher level to fully unlock that versatility. At the risk of being repetitive, more strength will help in this area, but it would be helpful for both Risacher and the Hawks if he could make a notable leap on the glass in his second season and beyond.