Welcome to Atlanta, Zaccharie Risacher!

[theheroatl]

Zacc is the type of player that makes your team on the floor drastically more BBIQ. He is the type of "moving without the ball, spacing, shooting" type of player that we wanted all along in Dre. 

 

I think he will bring just that... Spacing, BBIQ, drives, catch and shoot 3's, PNR, secondary ball handling (needs work), and defensive versatility. 

 

If this is what the Hawks need, he will provide it. He isn't a primary scorer unless it's a dire situation.

[kg01]

1 hour ago, theheroatl said:

Zacc is the type of player that makes your team on the floor drastically more BBIQ. He is the type of "moving without the ball, spacing, shooting" type of player that we wanted all along in Dre. 

 

I think he will bring just that... Spacing, BBIQ, drives, catch and shoot 3's, PNR, secondary ball handling (needs work), and defensive versatility. 

 

If this is what the Hawks need, he will provide it. He isn't a primary scorer unless it's a dire situation.

Maybe he'll be the Michael Jordan of the Golden State-era Andre Iguodala's.  

[JayBirdHawk]

3 hours ago, Final_quest said:

Being given the #1 put us in a position where we had to make a compromise, see Sarr.  They actually considered Reed Sheppard at least, even though Trae + Reed is a difficult fit.  
Trade down seemed like a decent alternative, but teams were maybe not offering that much to move up.  What would you have them do instead of Risacher.  

Haven’t seen a single person advocate for Sarr still.  Do they exist, or are they completely silent?

As it was with Luka/Trae...I wanted Luka we got Trae...I was all on board with Trae and moved on from the other guy. Same here: Team Zacc

[Final_quest]

10 hours ago, AHF said:

I would not be throwing in the towel at all had we drafted Sarr.  We didn’t so I’m done with him and focusing my energy on Risacher.  Hoping he will stand as the brightest star of this class at the end of the day and will immediately fill an important rotation role for a team I expect to be trying to compete to exceed the play-in this season.

I’m not throwing the towel on Sarr, but I’m curious if someone thinks Risacher is a compromise what else would you have done?  
Also, curious to hear from anyone who still thinks we made a huge mistake not drafting Sarr.  Is there one person still in that camp? 
But Sarr could be playable and have an NBA career.  Worthy of #1 pick?  Not sure where he should go, maybe 12-15 range in this draft.  

[deester11]

2 hours ago, Final_quest said:

I’m not throwing the towel on Sarr, but I’m curious if someone thinks Risacher is a compromise what else would you have done?  
Also, curious to hear from anyone who still thinks we made a huge mistake not drafting Sarr.  Is there one person still in that camp? 
But Sarr could be playable and have an NBA career.  Worthy of #1 pick?  Not sure where he should go, maybe 12-15 range in this draft.  

Lmao. I'm in no way thinking he's a franchise player. But the people thinking he's close to being what he could be is laughable. I have no idea. All I know is these YMCA games are doing him no justice. If he fancies himself a perimeter finesse player over 7'0...good luck. Sheppard was a pick many pivoted to from Sarr and with Trae here he'd have never been a Hawk.

I can't say the Hawks made a mistake, but I will say they've wet the bed if they haven't moved one of Capela or Hunter.  If you tell me the team is a deep playoff team with Daniels and Risacher the big moves, I'll be alone on the island and say..hell to the nah!

[AHF]

3 hours ago, Final_quest said:

I’m not throwing the towel on Sarr, but I’m curious if someone thinks Risacher is a compromise what else would you have done?  
Also, curious to hear from anyone who still thinks we made a huge mistake not drafting Sarr.  Is there one person still in that camp? 
But Sarr could be playable and have an NBA career.  Worthy of #1 pick?  Not sure where he should go, maybe 12-15 range in this draft.  

You know I would have worked the Wizards and traded down to pick up an asset at a minimum.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[MarylandHawk]

21 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 

 

Love this. Trae was the only other draft pick that would dare utter the C word in his initial interviews. That let’s you know you have real competitors on the team. 

[ATLHawks3]

5 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 

 

I like how when he was asked how he pictures his career 10 years from now, he mentioned how he wants to win a lot of championships. Nothing he mentioned individually, but everything team oriented. I like his mentality a lot.

[macdaddy]

On 7/20/2024 at 4:35 AM, benhillboy said:

I’m reserving judgement/ comps until he fills out, which could take a couple years.  None of those players were anywhere close to #1 pick prospects yet Ariza and (Suns) Bridges are still lofty defensive projections. The things that will most affect his impact (being able to absorb shoulders from drivers, rebounding in traffic, and attacking the rim) definitely won’t materialize until then.

He doesn’t seem to have an edge or notable intensity to his makeup, something I wouldn’t compromise with a #1 pick.  Especially coming to a team that sorely needs better intangibles, motors, and energy sources.

I was just remembering Rashard Lewis.  They are similar in size and play the 3.   (also just noticed his nickname was Sweet Lew which i don't remember but might be divisive).  

[RedDawg#8]

12 hours ago, macdaddy said:

I was just remembering Rashard Lewis.  They are similar in size and play the 3.   (also just noticed his nickname was Sweet Lew which i don't remember but might be divisive).  

Same about Sweet Lew, I heard that as well and was trying to remember that ever being a thing.

Rashard Lewis is a tough comp for me. Not many players can fit his profile. I almost feel like Lewis is who Sarr is trying to model himself after. The handles at his height and ability to stroke it (pause) are very very rare. Maybe if ZR gets a little stronger. Right now he has that Ginobali build but in a 6’9 body. 

[Hawkish]

30 minutes ago, RedDawg#8 said:

Same about Sweet Lew, I heard that as well and was trying to remember that ever being a thing.

Rashard Lewis is a tough comp for me. Not many players can fit his profile. I almost feel like Lewis is who Sarr is trying to model himself after. The handles at his height and ability to stroke it (pause) are very very rare. Maybe if ZR gets a little stronger. Right now he has that Ginobali build but in a 6’9 body. 

I thought the same re: Ginobili.  

[marco102]

Great video on Zacc.  Explains why the Hawks took him. Starts around 13:40.  Has some comments from Pop too on how great he is.

 

Edited July 23 by marco102

[RedDawg#8]

4 hours ago, marco102 said:

Great video on Zacc.  Explains why the Hawks took him. Starts around 13:40.  Has some comments from Pop too on how great he is.

 

He really is a good kid from a good family. I enjoyed seeing his relationship with his sister. Reminds me of Trae and his brother. I can appreciate his make up as a person, which gives me faith in him doing well in life, not just on the court. Great stuff.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

Zaccharie Risacher, Hawks

The draft’s top pick only played two games, but he showed flashes of spicy ball skills to go with impressive height for a wing at 6-10 (and the Hawks do see him as a true wing, by the way, somebody who can reliably guard twos and threes). He had a coast-to-coast glide for a lefty dunk in transition in his first game and a behind-the-back dribble into a behind-the-back dish to a corner shooter that didn’t make the evening highlight reels because the shot missed.

Risacher also showed a bit of craft with his off hand, using an in-and-out left-handed dribble to set up a lefty bank shot over Sarr’s length for his first summer bucket.

That said, the handle can still get loose — he had a mess of a turnover against San Antonio where it got away from him — and the shooting was erratic; he was only 4 of 16 from 3 in his two summer games and 3 of 7 from the line.

The shooting question looms over much of the projection with Risacher, given that his season in France was a bit of an outlier from his previous seasons. Him getting up 16 triples in 59 minutes is a positive sign on its own — shooters tell on themselves by where and when they launch as much as by how often it goes in, especially in small samples — and the Hawks are believers in his shooting.

More impressive might be Risacher’s focus on the right things. After his first summer-league game, in which he scored 18 points, he spent the postgame interview session lamenting that he didn’t play better defense.

“I’m kind of mad about that because that’s not the player that I am,” Risacher said. “Defensively, it’s really important in basketball. I feel like my team needs that from me.”

Hawks summer-league coach Ronald Nored said Risacher’s attention to that detail shows he “cares about the right things.”

“How many guys are talking about their defense after a game? The fact he’s thinking about that, that he’s conscious of that and where he wants to get better … says a lot about who he is as a person and a pro,” Nored said.

On a lighter note, Risacher also absorbed some ribbing from teammates for airballing a free throw late in the first game, when sweaty hands in an unusually warm gym caused him to lose his grip.

“That was the first time in my life that happened. I don’t know how to say in English — the sweating? — I realized in the middle of my shot and was like, ‘No, I can’t stop,’ so I just threw it,” Risacher said. “My teammates were laughing. I laughed too, but I had to make sure I hit the second one.”

 

Risacher still needs to get stronger and prove he can shoot consistently, but the pathway is there for a “Shane Battier with more offense” type of career. That sounds unsatisfying for a top pick, but that might just be the nature of this draft.

[Uuus]

I would take Shane Battier with more offense all day!! Battier impacted winning. He did all the small stuff that doesn't show up in the box score. The Heatles didn't become Champions until Battier joined the team. 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[AHF]

8 hours ago, Uuus said:

I would take Shane Battier with more offense all day!! Battier impacted winning. He did all the small stuff that doesn't show up in the box score. The Heatles didn't become Champions until Battier joined the team. 

I don’t know how much I would pin on Battier’s 4.8 and 2.4 production in Miami given they only played one season without him and made the NBA finals but I agree having a strong wing defender is quite important as we saw with Thabo.  If we get that level of defense with connector passing and an eventual 20 PPG on plus shooting efficiency that would be a great outcome for Risacher.  Might be somewhat akin to prime Khris Middleton at that point and he was an All-Star in his prime.

[NBASupes]

I love Risacher style of play. When consistency and experience comes, I think he will surprise us all for what his level will be. 

[JayBirdHawk]

Start, Bench or G-League? Predictions for Every 2024 First-Round Pick

 

No. 1 Pick: Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks

1 OF 30

 

Monica Schipper/Getty Images

Role: Starter

Usage type: Spot-up scorer

It's reasonable to expect the Atlanta Hawks will start the player they just took No. 1 overall.

Trading Dejoute Murray for 21-year-old Dyson Daniels and draft picks also suggests there isn't as much pressure to win now as it once seemed. The Hawks figure to give Zaccharie Risacher a longer runway to play through mistakes and develop. But he's also coming off an efficient year starting in LNB Pro A, and his athleticism, shotmaking and defensive tools suggest he should already be ready for a three-and-D role in Atlanta.

It does seem like Risacher is in a good spot, where he can rely on Trae Young and Jalen Johnson for creation, playmaking and gravity. The 19-year-old figures to spend most of his time scoring in transition and spotting up, similar to what he did with JL Bourg.

Improving his handle and self-creation will be longer-term goals. In the meantime, Risacher will make the biggest impact as a rookie with his athleticism on the open floor, capitalizing on space, shooting and perimeter shot contesting.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10128758-start-bench-or-g-league-predictions-for-every-2024-first-round-pick

If he's starting, I'm starting him at SG. Between Trae and Hunter. 
Zacc guards the lighter wings
Hunter guards the bigger wings.
They can also be switchable.