Zaccharie Risacher was absolutely cold-blooded against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.
In addition to playing a very defensively sound 4th quarter that helped to stifle any hopes of a Cavalier comeback, Risacher drilled a corner three with a minute to go in regulation that broke the neck-and-neck battle, putting the Hawks up 126-123, ultimately securing the victory for Atlanta.
Risacher had a big grin on his face as the Hawks walked off the court minutes later with victory in hand, proud to be a critical piece in a beautiful win against what were once thought to be the defenders of the Eastern Conference top dog status.
This game serves as a complete 180 to what Quin Snyder has done throughout the year.
Risacher's 4th-quarter minutes have been severely limited to begin the year, averaging just 4.5 fourth-quarter minutes per game prior to the last two outings against Washington and Cleveland. He logged 12 solid minutes against the Wizards and 7 vital minutes against the Cavs in the 4th in back-to-back performances.
It's sink or swim for Risacher in the clutch, as Atlanta can't afford to err
While other young teams, such as the Washington Wizards, Brooklyn Nets, or Utah Jazz, have plenty of time to allow their young stars to develop, learn from their mistakes, lose games, and build their confidence slowly, the Atlanta Hawks do not have the same luxury.
At present, the Hawks are scraping, clawing, and fighting for every single victory they can get their talons on. An Eastern Conference once thought to be wide open has turned into an absolute brawl, seeing teams such as Atlanta in or near a play-in catastrophe.
As such, Coach Snyder doesn't have the ability to play Risacher in the 4th quarter in games where he's either cold or getting burned on the defensive end. There have been a multitude of games over the last calendar month where Risacher sees 20+ minutes across the first three quarters only to see his minutes capped in the 4th with the game on the line. But after two solid performances, perhaps his defense (and Coach Snyder's trust in his defense) has taken a leap.
If Zach can continue to prove that he belongs on the court in the 4th quarter the way he did against the Cavs, Coach Snyder will have no choice but to keep him out there - to keep developing his ability to ice games down the stretch.