Zaccharie Risacher has been one of the bright spots for the Atlanta Hawks, who are mired in a three-game losing streak following their latest defeat, this at the hands of the Detroit Pistons.
On Sunday, he took an important step: closing.
Entering the loss to Detroit, Risacher had averaged five fourth-quarter minutes per game. That was tied with Larry Nance Jr. – who went long stretches without seeing the floor this season – for the third-fewest minutes in the frame on the team.
Risacher nearly doubled his minutes in the final frame against the Pistons. He scored 6 points, knocking down both of his triples.
That's Zacch in the corner 💵 pic.twitter.com/ARY3ShGCcU
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 24, 2025
Part of head coach Quin Snyder’s decision to play Risacher down the stretch was because Caris LeVert struggled. LeVert, who hyped the rookie up, ranks fifth in fourth-quarter minutes on the team the last 10 games. He had 7 points on 3-for-10 shooting on the night versus the Pistons.
The Hawks have many questions to answer about the direction of their roster this offseason.
They can rest assured that Risacher can fit into almost any iteration they land on, and that is probably underestimating his ability to be a centerpiece at some point.
Zaccharie Risacher trending in right direction for Hawks
Still just 19 years old, Risacher’s development is key for the Hawks. They have financial uncertainty looming with Trae Young and have seen their current second-best player, Jalen Johnson, miss significant time with injuries the past two seasons.
That makes Risacher’s recent trends, including closing versus Detroit, that much more encouraging.
Risacher, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, has started all but two games this season. Those were Games 1 and 2 of the campaign. Risacher has showcased a multi-faceted game from the beginning, boasting a high IQ, advanced feel, and malleable skill set.
The rookie had a strong February that actually started in January.
Risacher dropped 30 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 30, his second-highest output of the season.
He is averaging 15.8 PPG on 67% true shooting in his last 10 games. That is a notable increase over the 10.5 PPG on 48.8% TS he posted in the 40 games before; a significant disparity in the sample size. He leads all rookies in scoring during that 10-game span.
Notably, Risacher is shooting 52.3% from beyond the arc in the same window.
He was shooting 28.3% from downtown entering the stretch, even though his shot selection has remained relatively the same.
To be clear, at no point during this season has Risacher been a disappointment. He does too many things well early in his career to be discouraged by some tough shooting luck in a make-or-miss league.
Risacher’s statistical progression has been encouraging.
But what he was entrusted to do against the Pistons is even more significant for the Hawks long-term.