Zaccharie Risacher landed at No. 25 on FanSided's 25-under-25 NBA Player Rankings this season, ranking the best young players in the NBA. Check out the rest of the list here.
When the Atlanta Hawks won the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery, the reaction was mixed. On one hand, the Hawks jumped from No. 10 in the pre-lottery process all the way to the top, enjoying the good fortune of just a three percent chance at the No. 1 pick. On the other, the widespread consensus for the 2024 draft class pointed to a distinct lack of a "generational talent" at the top, meaning that Atlanta's luck wasn't met with the same vigor as, for example, what greeted the Dallas Mavericks when they enjoyed a similar jump to nab Cooper Flagg in 2025.
To that end, it was not immediately clear who the Hawks would tab with the top pick in 2024, including genuine uncertainty all the way until draft night. Ultimately, Atlanta went with what was often described as a "safe" option in French forward Zaccharie Risacher, similarly prioritizing a potentially valuable skill set as a rangy forward who could shoot and defend over what some believe may have been traditionally higher-upside choices.
Risacher enjoyed a very solid rookie campaign for the Hawks, playing more than 90 percent of his first season at the age of 19 and contributing to a team that played postseason basketball. Risacher appeared in 75 games, including 73 starts, and unlike some of his contemporaries, his minutes came with real stakes and the urgent need to fit into a team with plenty of talent around him. He finished No. 5 among rookies in minutes played, though three of the four rookies who played more were on teams that fell well short of the postseason and generally operated within a rebuilding context.
While Risacher got off to a slow start that was incredibly foreseeable, he showcased quite a bit in the back half of his maiden NBA voyage. Before he played only nine minutes in a meaningless regular season finale for Atlanta, Risacher had a 34-game stretch in which he averaged 15.1 points per game on 52.0 percent shooting from the field and 42.0 percent from 3-point range.
For those paying at least mildly close attention, that helped to ease any fear that Risacher was simply overmatched, and that strong close to the campaign also pushed Risacher to the No. 2 spot in the final Rookie of the Year voting. In fact, Risacher was the best rookie in the NBA in the second half of the season, and he garnered at least some first-place consideration by the end of the process.
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Can a No. 1 overall pick actually fly under the radar?
Due to a combination of Risacher's nuanced game, smaller usage as a rookie, international pedigree, and the pre-draft perception of his prospect status and lack of hype, it seems clear that Risacher is actually flying under the radar. That is virtually unthinkable for a No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, but without the pre-draft hype machine, Risacher simply is not part of the mainstream discussion on the eve of his second season.
That could, and likely should, change in 2025-26. For one, Risacher should be able to build on the gains he accumulated down the stretch a season ago. During a nationally televised preseason matchup against Houston on Oct. 16, Risacher led the Hawks with 24 points on 10 of 18 shooting, adding eight rebounds, three assists, and three stocks in only 25 minutes of work. He also put a more aggressive brand of offensive basketball on tape, and there are plenty of murmurs about at least a slightly more egalitarian offensive style in Atlanta this season.
Make no mistake, Risacher is not suddenly likely to be a 20-point scorer on a regular basis, at least for his second season. That kind of jump is hard to predict for anyone, but he is also playing on a team with Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, Kristaps Porzingis, and others who will soak up some usage. However, the Hawks are widely projected to take a significant step forward as a team, resulting in more national attention and, by proxy, more love for Risacher if he plays the way he did from January through April a year ago.
The former No. 1 overall pick snuck onto the 25-under-25 at the end, but a year from now, no one should be surprised if he rises and gets attention that is at least slightly more in line with his draft slot.