Quin Snyder seemingly can’t decide whether the Atlanta Hawks are trying to win or develop their players, and his indecision is causing the team to suffer in both regards. This contradiction was painfully obvious in Atlanta’s Saturday night loss to the Charlotte Hornets, when Snyder had two diametrically opposed philosophies in action.
The Hawks’ second-leading scorer was Zaccharie Risacher, who had a phenomenal bounce-back night after a dismal 0/8 Thursday night disasterclass. The former top pick dropped 18 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 blocks on a perfect 4/4 from three. He was a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the floor.
Risacher, however, received just 23 minutes of action in what was perhaps his best game of the season. This is five minutes less than CJ McCollum and equivalent to Corey Kispert’s playing time.
Snyder is neither prioritizing Risacher nor winning
Risacher is, without a doubt, Atlanta’s most promising prospect. Asa Newell, Mo Gueye, and Jonathan Kuminga are all intriguing players to round out the young core, but Risacher is the crown jewel.
If Snyder truly prioritized Risacher’s development, he would give the sophomore forward more burn. The Hawks are clearly not championship contenders, which typically means they would give developmental minutes to their exciting young talent. Despite this, Kispert still gets equivalent playing time.
The Kispert-Risacher dynamic is particularly frustrating. Risacher is already a more talented player, and Kispert is six years older. Whether you’re prioritizing winning or development, Risacher should always come first. Yet, Snyder seemingly favors the four-year Gonzaga sharpshooter over the top pick in the 2024 draft.
In fact, Kispert’s minutes have increased since Risacher came back from injury on January 31st. While part of this is certainly due to the trades Atlanta made, the only outgoing small forward was Vit Krejci, who was already almost out of the rotation entirely.
Risascher had a monster defensive performance against Charlotte, headlined by one of the most impressive blocks I have seen in a minute. Still, down one point with 26 seconds left for a defense-only possession, Snyder opted to play Kispert over Risacher. There is no rationale for this.
Risacher is both the better defender and was the hot hand. Neither he nor Kispert was in the game beforehand, so “continuity” or “fatigue” are not valid explanations either. Snyder just made a bone-headed decision that could have cost Atlanta the game.
This decision ultimately didn’t matter, as Onyeka Okongwu fouled LaMelo Ball early in the possession. Still, this represents yet another inexplicable move from Snyder. Whether he’s trying to win or trying to develop his young core, he’s failing. It’s time for the Hawks to look in the mirror and accept that these rotational issues are a Snyder issue, and something has to change.