Zaccharie Risacher completes feat not seen before in Hawks history
Yesterday at 01:07 AM
The Atlanta Hawks may be in the middle of yet another uninspiring season, but the development of their young players gives reason to be hopeful for their future. On Monday night, despite being without Trae Young, who was out with a quadricep injury, the Hawks took a 132-123 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, thanks to huge nights from Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher, who had 25 and 22 points, respectively, to lead the way.
Risacher hasn’t been the most consistent player for the Hawks in his rookie season, which is to be expected from someone as young and inexperienced as he is. But with his latest 20-point outing, he made history for the proud Hawks franchise by being the teenager with the most 20-point games in franchise history, according to StatMamba on X (formerly Twitter).
Risacher won’t be turning 20 years of age until the eighth of April, and yet here he is, flashing quite a well-rounded offensive game. He may not do much shot-creation for the Hawks, but as a teammate of Young’s, he is a perfect fit as someone who can hit open shots and defend multiple positions. And with his youth, it will be a huge surprise if he doesn’t round out his ballhandling to become a more well-rounded offensive talent.
The 2024 NBA Draft class may not have drawn the most positive reviews from analysts, but Risacher is proving that he can be a huge contributor for the Hawks from day one. He has been garnering more and more trust from head coach Quin Snyder, and the future is looking very bright for the 19-year-old forward.
Hawks’ young core is shining through
The Hawks were one of the league’s feel-good stories to begin the season; they had two of the biggest breakout stars in the association in Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels, although their season outlook began to grow dimmer in the aftermath of Johnson’s season-ending injury.
With the trade of De’Andre Hunter to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Hawks have opened up a larger opportunity for Risacher — something he hasn’t quite yet maximized, but has shown flashes of seizing by the scruff of the neck. The 19-year-old is a very streaky shooter, and when he’s not scoring the basketball, he doesn’t impact the game as much.
Nevertheless, the Hawks drafted Risacher knowing full well that his offensive game wasn’t very polished yet, and they are giving him plenty of time and opportunities to develop into the player they believe he can become.
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