The Atlanta Hawks didn’t bring Zaccharie Risacher in to blend into the background. They brought him in to tilt the franchise’s future. When you invest that kind of capital in a two-way wing with size and skill, you’re betting on more than flashes. You’re betting on a player who can help shift your identity. Right now, though, the Hawks need more from Zaccharie Risacher than what they’re consistently getting.
Hawks Need More From Zaccharie Risacher
From night to night, you can see the outline of what he’s supposed to become. There are games where he hits tough threes and runs the floor. He defends multiple positions and looks every bit like the modern wing every team is desperate to find.
Then there are stretches where he fades to the corners and barely touches the ball in key moments. To be fair, Quin Snyder often keeps his minutes modest and doesn’t always trust him to close games yet. On those nights, he has quiet defensive possessions where he’s just another body in the rotation. On those nights, he has quiet defensive possessions where he’s just another body in the rotation. For a role player, that’s fine. For a potential franchise pillar, it’s not enough. The Hawks need more from Risacher if they want those flashes to become their norm.
Atlanta doesn’t need Risacher to be something he’s not. They already have primary creators and high-usage scorers. What they need is for him to take ownership of the gaps that exist between those stars. They need more aggression when the offense stalls, more physicality on defense, and more consistency overall.
When the ball swings to him late in the clock, it can’t always be a reset dribble. It can’t always be a safe pass. Sometimes it has to be a drive, a pull-up, or a trip to the free-throw line. When the opposing team’s best wing gets rolling, he has to be the one who takes that matchup personally.
Where Risacher Has To Grow Next
Offensively, the talent is obvious. Risacher has the size to shoot over smaller defenders and the touch to stretch the floor. He also has enough handle to attack a tilted defense. The issue isn’t whether he can score. It’s how often he imposes himself on the game.
Too many possessions go by where he’s merely a spacer. That role is useful, but it undersells his ceiling. It also doesn’t match how much the Hawks need more from Risacher in this offense.
The next step is simple to say and harder to live out: Risacher must be better at forcing the issue. That doesn’t mean hijacking possessions or ignoring the scheme. It means understanding when the team needs him to be more than just an outlet.
When defenses load up on Trae Young, that’s his invitation to attack closeouts and cut hard. When they collapse on Jalen Johnson drives, he has to punish switches and find seams. If he can consistently turn those moments into paint touches and free throws, Atlanta’s offense becomes much harder to guard. If he can turn them into drive-and-kick opportunities, the Hawks’ shooters benefit too.
Zaccharie Risacher vs New York Knicks
33 PTS | 7 REB | 3 AST | 6 3P
The rookie finally shines. Tremendous W!
pic.twitter.com/fKLAg5m7Ki
— A Walking Highlight (@11AWH) November 7, 2024
Defensive Demands On Risacher
Defensively, his tools are exactly what you want. Length, mobility, and instincts give him the potential to guard across positions. But tools only matter if they show up every possession. The Hawks need him to embrace being their primary perimeter stopper.
He has to chase shooters, fight through screens, and make star wings work for everything. When he’s locked in, he can blow up actions and shrink driving lanes. When he’s not, Atlanta’s defense springs leaks it can’t afford. In that sense, Risacher must be better not just in moments, but in habits.
Rebounding and physicality are part of that conversation, too. A wing of his size shouldn’t drift away from the glass. Securing defensive boards, tapping out 50–50 balls, and finishing possessions are all ways he can impact the game. He can still matter even when his shot isn’t falling.
The good news for Atlanta is that none of this is theoretical. We’ve already seen stretches where he looks like the best version of himself. He hits shots in rhythm, attacks decisively, switches across positions, and plays with real confidence. The task now is to stretch those flashes across full games, then across weeks, then across an entire season.
If that happens, the conversation around the Hawks changes. Instead of asking whether they have enough on the wing, you’re talking about a core of Young, Johnson, and Risacher that can actually threaten the top of the conference. But that future depends on him taking that next step. The Hawks need more from Risacher, and if that turns into reality, he has the game to answer the call.
Featured Image: Daniel Anderson-Imagn Images
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