As he adjusts to life in the NBA, French forward Zaccharie Risacher will carry the target that comes with being the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. He got his first taste of that experience in Friday’s Summer League debut as the Wizards’ Justin Champagnie, his primary defender, “chirped” at him throughout the game, writes Lauren Williams of The Journal-Constitution. Risacher was able to overcome that distraction, putting up 18 points, five rebounds and two assists while shooting 7-of-16 from the floor and going 3-of-9 from three-point range.
“I try to play the way we want me to play,” he said. “So, like I said before, during the draft process, I’m ready to do whatever the coaches want me to do. So, if coach wants me to take threes, I’m gonna take threes. And if he wants me to be aggressive, I’m gonna be aggressive and that’s just a part of the player that I am and express myself on every side of every little thing.”
Williams observed that Risacher seemed comfortable with the faster pace and the greater spacing in the NBA game, even though his outside shot wasn’t falling. He expressed disappointment with his performance on defense, which he hopes to improve when the Hawks face San Antonio today.
“I think I didn’t show like my full ability on defense, and I’m kind of mad at that because that’s not the player that I am,” Risacher said. “And the defensive part is really important in basketball, and I feel like my team needs that too from me, so that’s gonna be the main thing for me to deal with and improve on right away.”
There’s more on the Hawks:
- Second-year big man Mouhamed Gueye exchanged trash talk with Washington’s Alex Sarr in both English and French during their intense battle Friday night, Williams states in a separate story. After appearing in just six NBA games as a rookie, Gueye is hoping to prove that he’s ready for a larger role. “Mo’s been in the gym all summer working and all that,” Hawks Summer League coach Ronald Nored said. “And I thought he did a good job with it. He took the challenge defensively. I thought that fueled him offensively. The running, the cutting, the movement of the ball, we need that for Mo and I think he took the challenge.”
- Summer League is an opportunity for Serbian guard Nikola Djurisic to prove that he’s worthy of a roster spot, Williams adds in another piece. The Hawks traded up to take Djurisic with the 43rd pick, but they haven’t announced whether he’s in their plans for this season. They have a pair of two-way contract slots still open.
- Vit Krejci‘s new four-year, $10.19MM contract includes $3.66MM in guaranteed money, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Krejci’s $2.16MM salary for the upcoming season is fully guaranteed, followed by a $1.5MM guarantee on his $2.4MM for 2025/26, a non-guaranteed $2.7MM for the third year and a $3MM team option on the final season.