Hawks media day: GM Landry Fields praises Trae Young & 9 other key takeaways

Hawks really high on Zaccharie Risacher

Not that we should have expected anything less, but Fields spoke glowingly about rookie No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher.

“Had the No. 1 pick, and feel great about Zacch and his progress and how he attacks his everyday work,” Fields said. “He’s already been a pro for some time, so it’s good to see where he’s at. And good to see, at 19 [years old] where he ultimately could go. And we’re very thrilled so far with what we’ve seen, and I think his ceiling is unbelievably high.”

In draft class full of question marks, Risacher has a chance to surprise even as a No. 1 pick.

The Hawks still have several viable offensive threats to account for, allowing the rookie to fill in gaps where needed. At 6-foot-9 and wingspan over 7 feet long, Risacher’s length and defensive potential fit into Fields’ comments about the Hawks’ plan for the offseason.

Hawks looking to ‘unearth’ David Roddy

Fields was presented with a question about evaluating lesser-known players like David Roddy, sparking a potentially telling answer about the former Phoenix Sun.

“We identified [Roddy] throughout time, and then this Summer League we were really pleased with his play, and progression, and some of the strides that he made on the court. So looking at more of our brand, we saw him, and kind of dating back to even when he was at Colorado St., the things that he could do which he’s not necessarily shown too much in the NBA, we feel like, ‘Hey, that really fits. Can we unearth some of that that we saw before he even got to this level.’ So that’s exciting. 

Fields said he was encouraged by what he saw from Roddy in OTAs, citing his passing, toughness, voice, and work ethic. It all gives further clarity to the Hawks’ logic for trading E.J. Liddell to land Roddy this offseason.

Dyson Daniels ‘incredible’ defensively

Fields also had plenty of good things to say about Dyson Daniels, one of the key pieces in the Murray trade.

Known for his strong defense, Daniels still has plenty to prove on offense.

“Dyson, incredible defender,” Fields said. “Continuing to evolve in his offensive game. Watching him from the [G League] Ignite to where he’s at now, you know that he has those playmaking abilities and the versatility that he’s shown. And when he doesn’t have the ball, he’s still effective out there.”

Fields said Daniels was another player that fit well into what the Hawks want to be as a team.

Vit Krejci ‘embodies’ Hawks’ brand of basketball

The Hawks made it a point to bring reserve point forward Vit Krejci back in free agency this offseason. Fields was not ready to commit any specific role to the 24-year-old, but he did comment on just why it was so important for the Hawks to re-sign Krejci.

“When I talk about our brand of basketball, if you watch Vit, he really embodies a ton of that and what he's done from the time he's gotten to the league to where he ended last year, I think he's made huge strides,” Fields said. “The development that he's had, how he approaches the game, how he's for his teammates, that's something that you want around regardless of playing time for us. It was really important to make sure that we got him back with us because of all that.

“The more that we have of that, I think that's the cultural piece that we're looking for, and he fits that very well. So not sure what it’ll look like from a lineup standpoint. just yet. But I know that we've been in conversations with Coach and his staff on some of that stuff, so we'll see where that falls.”