What about the other side of the ball for Risacher?
[Editor’s note: this is the second half of the scouting report for Zaccharie Risacher. Part 1, Risacher’s offense, can be found here]
Defense
Straight off the bat, Risacher has a number of the physical tools needed to make a good defender. He stands at around 6 feet and 9 inches (in shoes), he moves well, and he’s got decent (not elite, but decent) wingspan at 6-foot-9 and three-quarter inches). You would project Risacher to be this switch-y forward and while it can happen, it doesn’t happen as nearly as you’d expect — or would potentially want to see.
Let’s take a look at the film and see what defense Risacher offers.
Risacher does look to extend defensive pressure, and he will go pick up his man up the length of the floor:
You’ll see as we go through these clips the pressure Risacher looks to extend, but that intent does not always equal good results, and Risacher can be a mixed bag defensively.
He shows good pressure on this play, up in his man’s space, and then switches on the block — and then he undoes his good work up to this point by trying to go for the reach, which puts him easily out of the play defensively and the basket is scored:
Here at fullcourt, Risacher picks up his man, maintains pressure up the floor but gets too close and his momentum is used against him, resulting in the blow-by. The defense has to step up and on the pass to the now more open defender, and as a result of the breakdown the three is made:
On the wing, Risacher exhibits his physical defense and pressure but gets too physical and is called for the foul:
Risacher I think is a little bit too foul prone right now and commits a number of fouls in a variety of ways, combining to show somewhat of an immaturity on the defensive end — which is to be expected in some degree at this stage of his career.
Again, Risacher showcases his intensity on defense and does well to deny the ball initially, but then when it comes to defending the drive he commits the foul:
On the drive, Risacher commits the bump, and by extension the clumsy foul, leading to free throws in this case:
This was one of the rarer possessions I found where Risacher does showcase his ability to switch, but when he picks up the ball-handler on the switch he commits the foul on the bump, leading to free throws:
On this play, Risacher finds himself too deep inside the lane, and as he tries to closeout to the wing he’s blown-by. But insult to injury is added as Risacher commits the foul from behind, leading to free throws:
Fouls when you’re defending on-ball are one thing, but Risacher can get caught in other less than ideal scenarios too.
On the help, Risacher tries to get a hand in but commits the foul for free throws in a situation where it was unlikely he was going to get a piece of the ball:
In a one-point game with fewer than 30 seconds remaining, Risacher attempts to crash the glass after a missed shot but commits the foul and concedes the free throws late in a game that Bourg would ultimately lose:
I like the desire to go try go for the rebound, but with how far out he was he was always going to be reaching.
As the help defender again, Risacher tries to get a piece of the ball from behind but only serves to commit a foul and concede more free throws:
Not all of these fouls are terrible, the intensity is in the right place in many of his efforts, but it’s just a bit undisciplined right now and could be avoided.
Some of Risacher’s on-ball defense as we’ve seen can be lacking, and this can lead to fouls (as we’ve seen) or leading to breakdowns defensively:
Again, I wouldn’t call Risacher a porous or even a bad defender, these are just some elements that need improving, as does some of Risacher’s off-ball defense.
Risacher is good at moving off the ball, but he should also know to stay alert in those situations on the other end of the floor as well, as the cutter gets the better of Risacher to lead to a basket:
Here, Risacher gets drawn to the ball and loses his man on the cut from the corner, and it leads to a basket at the rim:
Here’s a possession where Risacher should rotate in front of the rim, but he’s too late to respond to the danger, and despite his late efforts the basket is conceded:
Like we’ve said before, sometimes Risacher’s intensity/pressure doesn’t always yield results, but sometimes it does.
On the out-of-bounds play, Risacher initially looks to try leap to steal for the ball on the inbounds but returns to his man. And as the play unfolds, he telegraphs the pass, hustles for the steal and finds his teammate for the assist, turning defense into offense:
On the help defense at the rim, Risacher rushes in to rip the ball away and with the ball in his hands in his own half. You know now what comes next; he takes off down the court in transition, gets fancy with the handle and is quite fortunate his hoist off the glass goes his way and the basket is made:
I couldn’t make my mind up if this next play was a good or a bad defensive stance. 95% of it I think is good defense, as Risacher holds his ground defensively on the drive but then is bested by the duck-in at the very end, but the shot is missed:
Risacher’s pressure is on display here once again, and unlike previous efforts, he doesn’t commit the foul on the drive and forces the pass:
We’ve seen some switches go wrong for Risacher, but in front of the rim he gets his arms up, takes the contact and contests the shot well in front of the rim:
Here’s another example, this time on the switch inside as Risacher ends up in front of the rim but does very well to step up and contest the fadeaway in the lane:
On the drive, Risacher does well to stay in front, contests the shot at the rim, and uses his height and length to tip the ball out to a teammate to secure possession:
In closing…
Let’s try land this one, shall we? Because there’s a lot to try and decipher and sift through…
The case of Zaccharie Risacher is all about perspective. If you’re looking at Risacher as a lottery pick, in the 4-to-whatever type of range — an addition to a budding star that you currently have — then I think you’ve got a good prospect here: very good shooter, good in the open-court with potential to translate that into the half-court, decent passer and, admittedly, a little shaky on the defensive end in terms of the end result (though not for a lack of effort). In short, Risacher would be perfect with the San Antonio Spurs to partner with Victor Wembanyama — his skillset would complement a star player very nicely, rather than him being the star player.
But that’s not the lens that we view Risacher in. We’ve all seen the mocks drafts and heard the buzz surrounding Risacher — he’s been mocked around number one for a while, and as a number one prospect (regardless of who it is who’s selecting) there’s a lot to be concerned with. I think you could be setting yourself up for disappointment if you’re drafting Risacher first and expecting him to become the star — to be that player you build your franchise around.
If I’m looking through the lens of trying to select the best player with the first pick, I’m worried that Risacher is basically an off-ball player and that his strength is not on the ball but shooting on the catch. I’m worried that, if the shooting doesn’t translate, Risacher doesn’t have an awful lot to fall back on offensively.
Sure, in transition he can make things happen, but in the same vein Risacher can also get caught like a deer in headlights in transition, and everything else seems to vanish from focus. He’s then just attacking, for better or for worse — in the NBA, as a rookie, those are ‘yank-able’ offences. In transition, Risacher becomes a different player, emboldened with a confidence dribbling the ball that is very much absent in the halfcourt — on the rare occasions the ball is in his hands and he’s working off the dribble.
In terms of passing and playmaking, there’s nothing special here; a few decent flashes every now and then, but it’s not really part of his game thus far.
Defensively, I like the effort, but it yielded very mixed results at times. I didn’t enjoy how many fouls Risacher committed, but I think some of these can absolutely be reined in, and with better positioning Risacher will be able to use his good lateral quickness to provide more effective defense. I don’t think he’s a great defender but he’s certainly not bad either, and there’s enough to work with here that you’d be optimistic that Risacher could be a solid defender in the NBA.
I like some of Risacher’s physical tools, his shooting at his size is always welcomed in the NBA, and he’ll be easily deployable at the three and four in shooting lineups — the versatility in deployment is also something teams enjoy having at their disposal. He didn’t measure amazingly at the NBA Combine in terms of verticality and athleticism, and he doesn’t possess elite wingspan, so those are some knocks against his physicals.
If we were talking about a lower lottery pick here, you’d be OK with some of these shortcomings because you’d be happy you were getting value for your pick, likely a contributing starter/role player to your core led by some other pre-existing franchise cornerstone. But as a number one pick? If Risacher is to be that cornerstone? That raises a lot more concerns about the shortcomings mentioned above.
In short, I do not think Risacher should be selected with the number one pick based on upside; I do not think he’s that type of talent. Maybe you believe Risacher is that type of player, maybe he can reach the ceiling people set highly for him. I’m not saying Risacher is a bad player, not at all — I think he would make a winning impact to your team, and he will raise your team’s shooting profile (and I do think his shooting will translate), but I don’t see him as the player who will transform your fortunes and lead a franchise. As a number one pick — and the caliber of talent you typically associate with drafting at this position — I think you’d be right to have concerns.
Put it this way, the Charlotte Hornets, for example, are a struggling team who are probably in need of a franchise cornerstone to turn around their fortunes (assuming LaMelo Ball isn’t healthy…which he hasn’t been) … If they had the first pick in this draft, I wouldn’t be rushing to select Risacher with it. However, if I was the Houston Rockets, the San Antonio Spurs? The pick makes a lot more sense because you have something established already.
Of course, the Atlanta Hawks are in the exact same boat, so this pick would make absolute sense. They have a star going forward (the level of which depends on which of Trae Young or Dejounte Murray continues the relationship with the Hawks) and adding Risacher to the mix would absolutely help the Hawks’ depth, even if he doesn’t become the star they may hope. Risacher will make a winning impact wherever he goes, as will others in this class.
I would argue that, in terms of position, Risacher may not be as future proof as taking Alex Sarr or Donovan Clingan. Sure, right now the Hawks have Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu under contract, but Capela’s future is hardly assured — nor his long-term health as he hits his 30’s and decline may begin to set in — and for as good defensively as he can be, Okongwu’s size I think is a concern as a long-term starting center.
Selecting Sarr/Clingan may cause a logjam now (if neither Capela or Okongwu are traded), but it has the potential to safeguard both of these concerns, whereas I think you can be fairly safe in assuming one of Young/Murray will still be producing in 2-3 years, and it’s possible Risacher may never be that type of player to lead a franchise.
ESPN’s Jeremy Woo pondered a similar conundrum:
Risacher possesses an excellent baseline at a young age to become a valuable starting-caliber wing who excels on both ends. He also has a strong developmental floor. The No. 1 pick isn’t as clear-cut this year — and Atlanta might need rim protection more than it explicitly needs another wing — but Risacher is the top-ranked prospect for both Givony and me, and he comes off the board here.
Let’s look at what other outlets have added of Risacher and add to what we may understand already.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony ranks Risacher first overall out of 100 draft prospects, with this to say of Risacher:
Strengths: Risacher is a versatile wing whose ability to shoot on the move, competitiveness and versatility defensively and overall feel for the game helped him stand out against men playing high-level competition in the EuroCup and French league.
Weaknesses: He lacks ideal length and strength. While he shows ability as a passer and attacking in the open court, he is early in his development as a shot creator, playing a narrow role over the past season, leaving questions about his ability to soak up greater usage long-term.
The verdict: Risacher found other ways to contribute when he hit a midyear shooting slump and put together several strong playoff performances to finish the season. He has made a convincing case to hear his name called early in this draft, as every NBA team is looking for players in his mold.
Hard to argue that every NBA team is looking for a player of his mold; of course they are. But reaching for first overall for that? You’ve got to hope for major growth beyond size and shooting, and a little bit of defense. It all comes back to expectation: are you OK with the number one pick not being a number one pick-type talent?
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman also projects Risacher first overall, and I think Wasserman hits on the more dangling questions:
Rival teams continue to guess who the Atlanta Hawks prefer at No. 1. They’re still looking at multiple prospects, and those around the team and league believe Atlanta remains undecided.
Zaccharie Risacher, Donovan Clingan and Alex Sarr are have been the names tied to Atlanta the most. There seems to be some level of intrigue in Matas Buzelis as well, but presumably only for trade-down purposes.
We continue to give the edge to Risacher, a perceived safe pick with a valued archetype and pathways to improve and bust through the three-and-D level that he brings to JL Bourg.
While scouts continue to debate the height of Risacher’s ceiling, there is a perceived level of certainty tied to his positional size, shooting and defensive tools/quickness. That could sway the Hawks to lean his way without a sure-thing star at the top. Injury problems with Saddiq Bey and AJ Griffin could also help the case for Risacher to Atlanta.
I think conversation around Risacher’s ceiling is fair, but he is also undoubtedly safe, that’s a safe pick.
Wasserman also made the comparison to Harrison Barnes, which I think gives Risacher too much credit for his work off the dribble but not enough for his shooting. But the absence of Saddiq Bey through injury and whatever issues that are preventing A.J. Griffin progressing hurts the Hawks’ outside shooting, so this selection would make sense on that level.
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, in his final mock/bumper guide for the NBA Draft (fully recommend) lists Risacher at a more reasonable fifth overall. Vecenie has written quite a lot on Risacher, so I’ll include a few paragraphs and if you’re curious to check out the rest the link is above:
Strengths:
Risacher has great measurements for the “big wing” archetype NBA teams love. While he doesn’t have much length with just a 6-9 1/2 wingspan, he is a fluid athlete who is very coordinated for his size. Has an 8-11 standing reach. He has great feel for the game, which allowed him to make an early impact as a teenager in high-level European competitions.
Risacher moves well without the ball and plays within the flow of his team’s offensive system. He is good in triple-threat situations when he catches after moving offball. He recognizes his defender’s closeout rhythm early and adjusts his feet ahead of time depending on whether he’s shooting or driving. He cuts well off the ball and gets himself into optimal attacking positions. He’s effective along the baseline because of his ability to finish above the rim off two feet. He is good at cutting to the rim from the wing as his teammates drive from the opposite side of the court. In transition, he fills lanes as he should, either as a spacer for others or to attack the basket.
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WEAKNESSES: Though he moves fluidly for someone his size, Risacher is not explosive. He doesn’t play with much force and lacks much vertical pop in traffic. He’s grown better at absorbing contact around the rim but is rarely the player initiating said contact at this point in his career. He’s still growing into his frame and body, but it’s unclear if he will ever be a particularly physical or quick player.
Risacher is not an impressive shot creator for himself in ball screen or isolation situations and generally needs his teammates to have already bent the defense in some way. He struggles to beat his defender off the dribble and can’t turn the corner on anyone in one-on-one situations. His handle is creative but loose, as if he has good ideas for attacking defenders that he cannot execute. He tends to make slow-developing looping moves as opposed to sudden ones and seems to predetermine his attack rather than reading his defender.
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Summary:
If he’s not a knockdown shooter, his offensive role becomes more difficult to project. However, he’s shown enough touch with the way the ball comes out of his hand to continue developing his consistency there in spot-up situations, if not off movement or in pull-up situations. If, at a minimum, he can hit open-up spot 3s, cut off the ball and defend, then he’d become a difference-making starter if any of his on-ball skill improves as he grows into his frame. Teams that believe he can add functional strength and a bit more athletic juice have reason to take him in the top five. Those who are less sure of his long-term shooting development may think the floor is too low to risk such a high pick. Still, Risacher is seen as one of the safest players in the draft because of his intersection of size, defense and shooting. Look across the playoffs, and you can see why these players are so valuable.
About on the button as you would expect from the excellent Vecenie, and his closing thoughts when it comes to value in the playoffs (shooting, defense) and why these players are so valuable this time of year is a very valid point, and only serves to boost Risacher’s profile.
Ultimately, the Atlanta Hawks are in a unique position — a playoff hopeful with established talent — and it makes the choice here at no. 1 very, very difficult because it’s not a typical situation for a team selecting first overall. There were already a lot of potential moving parts even before the Hawks landed the top pick, let alone what they do with it. There’s a reason why the Hawks have been rumored to be shopping the pick, but recent suggestions from Landry Fields seems to suggest they intend to use it.
Selecting Zaccharie Risacher makes absolute sense for the Atlanta Hawks, but as the number one overall pick? It may not be inspired but it would appear to be safe if nothing else…