Hawks' Zaccharie Risacher bolsters Rookie of the Year case with career night

Entering play on March 30, Atlanta Hawks rookie Zaccharie Risacher is sixth in scoring among all rookies since the All-Star break. However, he is one of just four rookies shooting at least 48% from the floor and 40% from beyond the arc in that span.

Only Kyle Filipowski of the Utah Jazz has outscored Risacher on a per-game basis among that group, but he has posted a minus-6.2 plus-minus to minus-1.7 for Risacher.

All of this is a long way of saying Risacher is not getting enough Rookie of the Year buzz.

Against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, Riscaher put forth another reminder of why the Hawks made him the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft. Risacher set a new career-high with 3X points, adding 4 rebounds and 1 steal.

“This the Rookie of the Year. I’m standing next to him. That's all I can say right now,” Young said during his walk-off interview alongside Risacher. “This was a must-win game for us. We know we dropped the last couple, and we knew what we needed to do coming in here. And the rook led us tonight in scoring, and the way he was aggressive. And O [Onyeka Okongwu], Dyson [Daniels], doing what they do. We all just contributed in this win. But we followed our Rookie of the Year tonight, and we got the win. 

“Hopefully, it sets the tone for these last nine games – and now eight – and we gotta finish strong, and prepare for the postseason. It’s a different battle, but you starting out.”

Risacher is third in the betting odds for the award as of March 30, per DraftKings.

Stephon Castle of the San Antonio Spurs is the favorite followed by Washington Wizards big man Alexandre Sarr. However, both of their teams are playing for the future and have few options ahead of them in the pecking order.

Risacher is helping the Hawks prepare for a postseason run and is playing alongside a four-time All-Star point guard who is a high-volume scorer in his own right. 

The outing gives Risacher three games with at least 30 points and seven over 20.

He leads all rookies in the former and is fourth in the latter.  Offensive efficiency. High-end performances. That does not account for his defense either. Rookie of the Year? The Hawks can only hope. 

Hawks hand Bucks costly loss

The Hawks scored their most points in a game this season against the Bucks, who allowed their most points in a single outing to Atlanta on Sunday. The Hawks also snapped a two-game skid and regained control of the No. 7 seed, which they lost while idle to the Orlando Magic.

Atlanta returned the favor on Sunday.

The Hawks also kept themselves alive for the Bucks’ No. 6 seed, now sitting just 4.0 games back in the standings with eight to go in the regular season.

They will not see the Bucks again before, potentially, the postseason.

The Hawks will have two opportunities to separate themselves from the Magic, once at home in Atlanta and again in Orlando. Those games could also determine home court advantage in the Play-In Tournament.