Zaccharie Risacher reveals key advice from Quin Snyder after making Hawks history

The Atlanta Hawks made Zaccharie Risacher the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft.

On Wednesday in a 121-116 victory over the New York Knicks, in the ninth game and seventh start of his NBA career, the rookie proved he deserved the nod.

Risacher entered the night averaging 9.4 points and shooting 21.1% from beyond the arc. He has looked fine, making smart decisions and even taking good looks. They just had not fallen with regularity.

Those same looks fell versus the New York Knicks.

Risacher set a new career high with 33 points on 61.1% shooting and was 6-for-10 from beyond the arc. 

Give Me Sport’s Mikey Kobrinsky asked Risacher about Hawks head coach Quin Snyder’s comments about instructing the rookie to continue shooting through his woes to start the season. The rookie revealed the straightforward nature of Snyder’s sentiments.

“He basically tells me to ‘shoot the f****** ball every time,’” Risacher responded on November 6.

“That’s not just from him. That’s from everybody. Everybody around. Coaching staff, my teammates. So it’s super – it helps for the confidence, especially me coming from France and trying to adjust … It’s super helpful for me to be in that kind of position where you got the confidence of your coach and everyone else.

Risacher became the youngest player in Hawks history and the fourth-youngest player in NBA history to score 30 points and have 0 turnovers, falling in behind LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and LaMelo Ball, per Hawks PR.

Quin Snyder, Trae Young react to Zaccharie Risacher’s career night vs Knicks

“He's competitive and he's working; all the things from a mental makeup that I think allowed him to push through and keep shooting,” Snyder told reporters after the game. “That's what we've talked about: Keep working, keep playing, keep competing. And he had a good night.

“I think the enthusiasm about Zacch's performance is great. But his progress isn't going to be linear. He’s just got to stay at it and … we have confidence in him whether he makes shots or doesn't. And as much as anything today, I thought he was really good on the defensive glass as well. Got some big rebounds.”

Risacher’s 7 boards, 3 assists, and 3 steals all set new career-high marks. His 2 blocks tied his career which he has now hit three times this season.

Snyder noted the contributions of the team’s other players.

Jalen Johnson had 23 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists. Trae Young chipped in another 23 points with 10 assists and 6 boards. Clint Capela even managed and 18-point outing as the Hawks were able to offset some off nights from others.

Dyson Daniels was 3-for-16 from the floor for an 18.8% clip. Onyeka Okongwu was 1-for-6, a 16.7% mark from the floor. Young was 7-for-21 overall and 3-for-9 from downtown. 

Young offered praise for Risacher, though he was not surprised by what the rookie did.

“It's great to see. It's gonna happen. I'm not surprised, to be honest with you. I knew it was bound to happen eventually, and I know it's going to continue to happen the way he's playing. You can ask him, there's things that I've shown him and things that – I struggled my first couple months and weeks into my rookie year and then I was in Rookie of the Year debates in the second half,” Young said postgame.

“It's part of it. You're going to go through ups and downs in any NBA season, but especially in your rookie year. And I know he wants to win, I know he wants to contribute, and I just want him to always continue to stay positive and keep his head on the right path and right track. And then he’ll have games like he did tonight where he's not focused on what he did in the previous games or how bad or good he shot the previous games. He's focused on tonight and he has games like this, and you get to see the real Rook.”