The Atlanta Hawks are reportedly interested in coveted restricted free agent Peyton Watson. The 23-year-old swingman broke out during the 2025-26 season with the Denver Nuggets and is now widely regarded as one of the best young two-way wings in the NBA.
Though the Hawks' interest in Watson is understandable on multiple levels, it also seems to indicate a message is being sent directly to their own young wing: Zaccharie Risacher.
Watson represents everything Atlanta needs in a wing. He has excellent size at 6'8", defends at an arguably elite level both on and away from the ball, shoots efficiently in off-ball situations, and can create with the ball in his hands—both for himself and others.
That's inevitably translated to the Hawks having interest in Watson. Per Marc Stein of The Stein Line, Atlanta is one of the teams attempting to acquire Watson via sign-and-trade.
“And some fresh rumbles have been relayed to The Stein Line that the Bucks are joining the Clippers and Hawks on the list of teams trying to pry Watson away from the Nuggets via sign-and-trade.”
Alongside All-NBA forward Jalen Johnson, Watson would have an opportunity to both play off of the rising star and create in a way that alleviates pressure from him.
Hawks need Zaccharie Risacher to mirror Peyton Watson's development
That's exactly what Atlanta ultimately needs Risacher to strive to become. He doesn't need to be a carbon copy of any player, but he undoubtedly needs to offer value on both ends of the floor, as well as the versatility to play both with and without the ball.
By studying what's worked for Watson and incorporating it into his own arsenal, Risacher could become the two-way player Atlanta dreamed he would be when it drafted him at No. 1 overall.
Watson's production is nothing to scoff at, but it also doesn't necessarily jump off the page. In 2025-26, he averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 blocks, 0.9 steals, and 1.5 three-point field goals made. The reason he's turning heads is a combination of efficiency, peak performance, and two-way value.
That starts with the fact that Watson buried shots at a clip of .491/.411/.730 and continues with the fact that he had four 30-point games and 16 20-point showings across 54 appearances.
Peyton Watson's emergence is replicable for Zaccharie Risacher
That combination of having an efficient baseline for his performances and possessing the capacity for explosive peaks is the epitome of what teams covet in role players in the modern era. They must not only be able to go off from time to time, but maintain a high level of quality and reliability when they aren't at their very best.
What takes Watson over the top is the fact that he also ranked in the 97th percentile in perimeter isolation defense and the 92nd percentile in off-ball chaser defense, per Basketball Index.
Risacher, meanwhile, ranked in the 25th percentile in perimeter isolation defense and the 72nd percentile in off-ball chaser defense. He also shot a respectable but somewhat underwhelming 36.8 percent from the field and 64.4 percent from the free throw line.
If Risacher is hoping to get back into the Hawks' starting lineup and carve out a meaningful role, then it all starts with following Watson's lead in learning how to excel on both ends of the floor.
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