Zaccharie Risacher (2.06 m, 19 years old) is having a mixed start to his NBA career. Quickly integrated into the major five thanks to a decimated workforce, he is in difficulty in a sector which was nevertheless his strength in Bourg: outside shooting.
Far from its usual averages
6/27 or 22.2%, these are for the moment the 3-point statistics of the number 1 in Draft, after six matches. Currently averaging 8.2 points, he has not far exceeded 30% in a single match, and has only made two winning shots once. This while he shot 38.7% last season, in all competitions. But nothing serious enough to undermine his confidence, or even that of his coach. Risacher simply needs time to adapt to better adjust to the distance from the 3-point line in the NBA, which is further (7.25 meters) than what he experienced in FIBA (6.75 meters). Apart from that, the most important thing is that its mechanics are good, as is its shot selection. Success will only come with repetition and confidence. His coach Quin Snyder continued to praise it despite everything, as reported in a Rookie Wire article:
“You're not going to hit your shots every night, so you also have to impact the game in other ways, whether it's with passes, cuts or on defense. On the other hand, he shouldn't stop shooting because he's a very good shooter. […] He's going to have a great career. His shot is very nice, so we just have to keep giving him the ball. In the future he will get a lot of shots for us and make our team much better. »
“Athletically, I’m just a guy like the others”
Like the other French rookies, Risacher also had to adapt to the athletic and fast side of the opponents. Especially since he is regularly sent against the best opposing attacker (the two players on whom he defended the most are Jordan Poole et Jalen Williams). In the manner of a Bilal Coulibaly (2.03 m, 20 years old) last season, the coaches threw him straight into the deep end so that he could learn from the best. And it is in this environment of super-athletes that the son of Stéphane Risacher felt physically behind. Measured at 2.06 m (without shoes) and 98 kg at training camp, he nevertheless has a rare physique for a fullback/winger. But the meticulous strengthening work that he began this summer with his staff in Lyon will be spread over several years, and the objectives to be achieved are long-term. For the moment, he is still frail and slightly lacks explosiveness.
“The athletic side is very different in the NBA. There is no other league on this planet where you can see this much athlete, arm length and talent on the floor. You also have to adapt to the speed of the game… When I was in France I was a super athlete, and now I'm just a guy like the others. »
Zaccharie Risacher from the New York Times
Fortunately, the former Bourg and ASVEL is still very young, and his body is not completely formed. There is plenty of room for improvement in that regard. As for shooting, that will come with the repetitions and playing time that the Hawks seem determined to give him. Nothing worrying for the one who remains one of the favorites for the title of Rookie of the year given the weak competition.
