Hawks GM Landry Fields praises Zaccharie Risacher’s shooting and defensive versatility

The first round of the NBA Draft came and went and the Atlanta Hawks, after much speculation about what they were going to do with the No. 1 pick, stayed put and drafted French forward Zaccharie Risacher, who was become the favorite. to select n°1. There was no trade or surprise, the Hawks stayed first and took the guy most people thought they would take. There’s a lot of debate about whether Risacher deserves to be No. 1, but he brings a certain skill set coveted in the NBA, which is a big wing capable of guarding multiple positions and shooting the ball well . He was really the only prospect that fit that mold for Atlanta at No. 1, which factored into the decision to take him.

When Hawks general manager Landry Fields met with the media after the end of the first round of the draft, he noted that Risacher’s versatility on the defensive end and his ability to shoot were important factors in the Hawks liking him as hope:

“Well you start with what you see, which is he’s 6’10 and has the ability to play on both sides of the ball, has the ability to defend, a versatile defender, a very good shooter and a high IQ type of player You know the development he’s had so far is fantastic, he’s still only 19, he’ll be 19 all next year and I’m. “I’ve always said all the qualities that are important to us in the past about these types of players and who we ultimately want in the building and he has a significant number of them.”

Risacher is a 6’8, 204 LBS winger who fills a big need for Atlanta. He has two-way versatility and has performed well in his league playoffs since the lottery. He is a plug-and-play type forward who would suit the Hawks as a starting 2 or 3. One player Risacher got earlier in the draft cycle from ESPN’s Jeremy Woo was Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Khris Middleton:

High end: Khris Middleton with more defense

Low end: Trey Murphy III

“Risacher brings a lot to the field as an athletic 3-D winger with room to expand his game on both ends. Although he’s not likely to become a No. 1 option on offense as he becomes more comfortable playing multiple dribbles and developing as a shooter, it’s easy to see him becoming a viable wing scorer a la Middleton, who had an exceptional run in Milwaukee, including a title in 2021.

Risacher should also offer more defense, where he has positive lateral agility and should be switchable. There is a high level of two-way advantage here if one can overcome the limited shot creation ability. On the floor, provided Risacher continues to improve as a shooter, you can imagine him functioning like Murphy currently does for New Orleans: bringing excellent size and athleticism coupled with floor spacing and quality defense, but without creating a ton of offense for himself or himself. take a lot of dribbles.

His ceiling can be debated, but there is no doubt that Risacher can be an impact player for the Hawks. It will be interesting to see how his role evolves over the course of next season and how he fits into the team.