Since his exodus from Atlanta, Zaccharie Risacher has been leaned on heavily as a Dallas Maverick.
At least, from a minutes perspective - Zacch started nearly all preseason bouts in Dallas, and has earned 30 minutes of playing time on average through the Mavericks' first two regular season games.
Unfortunately for the Mavs (and perhaps to the relief of the Hawks), Risacher still hasn't translated his most iconic pre-draft talent to the league - his efficiency from distance.
Risacher's early-season shooting woes as a Maverick
Two games into the year in Dallas, Risacher hasn't been able to shake his lingering inability to serve as an elite catch-and-shoot threat from behind the three-point line.
Against the Rockets on opening night, Zacch converted on 0 of his 4 possible three point attempts, and only improved marginally against the Pacers the next game out, converting on 1 of a possible 4 shots from behind the arc.
His three pointer isn't the only problem in the realm of scoring, either - Risacher has converted on 5/10 of his two-point attempts. While not inexcusable, this was a common cause for concern for Zacch in Atlanta, and doesn't look to be looking up early on in his tenure as a Maverick.
Zacch's pre-draft projection as an elite standstill shooter still hasn't translated
Going into the 2024 NBA Draft, Risacher was known for one skill in particular - his lights-out abilities from behind the arc.
While his first overall selection may have been skewed by Alex Sarr's famous refusal to work out for the Hawks, he was still a consensus top-four pick by all experts, largely thanks to being labeled as a shooter demanding strong close-outs.
During his time with the Hawks, Zacch was by no means a poor shooter - converting on 35.5 and 36.8 percent of his attempts from range in his first and second seasons would be a fantastic start for the vast majority of young prospects in the NBA.
Unfortunately, this was supposed to be Risacher's calling card. Instead, his shooting has middled out, and the Mavericks were no doubt banking on this skill of his finally translating to the pre-draft heights Zacch showed he was capable of.
Risacher's 12.5% efficiency from deep in the first two bouts as a Dallas Maverick are far from the end of the story, but it's an early sign that the Hawks may have been correct in giving up on Zacch before the clock struck midnight on his looming post-rookie-scale extension.
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