A Promising Rookie Season Leads To Atlanta Hawks Forward Zaccharie Risacher Nominated For ROTY

With the NBA regular season officially finished, one of the most interesting awards to track this season is the winner of the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Last season, there was little debate that Victor Wembenyama deserved the award after a stellar rookie season where he averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds 3.9 assists and 3.6 blocks. However, the 2024-25 field is tightly contested. There hasn't been a clear winner and you can make a compelling case for multiple players.

Throughout the season, there have been four legitimate candidates for the award. Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain would have had a compelling case if he did not get injured 23 games into his rookie season. However, the four names that have gotten the most attention as contenders for ROTY are (in no particular order): San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle, Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr, Memphis Grizzlies wing Jaylen Wells and the Hawks' own starting small forward, Zaccharie Risacher.

It was announced that Risacher has been nominated for the award as one of the three finalists alongside Castle and Wells. He finished the season second on the Kia Rookie Ladder that is often predictive of the award's finalists.

NBA insider Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports recently published his ballot and although he ended up choosing Castle, he outlined why Risacher made a compelling case:

"Risacher closed the gap hard to end the season: He finished with 12.7 points per game, 35.5% from 3, filled gaps as a smart cutter and played strong defense for a rookie forward. And after Jan. 30, he hit 42.4% from deep, which was a scorching stretch that flipped the narrative on his jumper after a rocky start. As a No. 1 pick, he may lack traditional upside, but played a polished style and still managed to have some big scoring nights."

He dinged Risacher for his lack of isolation and foul-drawing, as well as his matchup difficulty. Those are fair points to consider, but I'd argue that Risacher's ability to fit into the Hawks offense and his improvements are being undersold. During Castle's rookie season, he finished as a 28.5% shooter on 4.1 attempts from deep and made 72.4% of the 4.2 free throw attempts he drew. Conversely, Risacher finished as a 35.5% shooter from deep on 4.6 attempts per game and a 71.1% shooter from the charity stripe on 2 attempts per game. Although Castle's ability to draw fouls is a good indicator of star upside, there's no question that Risacher's ability to space the floor is a better fit on a broader variety of teams. Furthermore, saying that Risacher "improved" as a shooter is underselling it. From October through December, he never eclipsed 30% shooting from three-point range and just wasn't a consistent threat on the perimeter. That shouldn't be much of a surprise - he's a 19 year old wing and young wings traditionally take at least two or three seasons, if not longer, to develop.

However, he shot 39.3% from deep in the month of January due to improved shot selection and becoming more comfortable in the offense. Furthermore, he created the highest percentage of his shots for himself during that month. After taking only 28 three-pointers in January, he upped his volume during February (50 attempts) and March (84 attempts), improving his percentage to 44% in February before falling back down to 39.3% from deep in March. That's a three month sample size of him being a respectable shooter even without the 15 threes he's made in April, good for a percentage of 39.5% on the month thus far. Making a 10% jump in three-point percentages and essentially maintaining that level isn't just improvement - it's a leap. Now, he shot under 30% on above-the-break threes. Those are among the toughest three-pointers and it's indicative that he isn't quite an elite shooter. However, he did finish with a combined 44% shooting percentage on the 146 corner threes he attempted. It isn't the largest sample size, but those are valuable shots for him to be taking and making at such a young age.

That's all before mentioning how good Risacher is as an off-ball player. He has a great sense of space and cuts at the right time to capitalize on the gravity of Trae Young. For all the hype about Castle's finishing at the rim, Risacher posted a shooting percentage of 65.1% at the rim compared to Castle's percentage of 65.5%. He did it in 100 less attempts, but Risacher also plays with Young, meaning his opportunities to initiate offense and create his own shot are more limited. He doesn't have the ball in his hands as much as Castle, which bears out in Castle having a usage percentage of 26% while Risacher is only at 20.9%. It's fair to say Castle is a better finisher right now, but Risacher also had less opportunities to get downhill and played a very different role. In the limited chances he got to make plays for others, he's a smart player who sees passing lines and identifies rollers heading to the rim. He also has a solid handle for such a young wing as he can put the ball on the floor and do something with it.

Risacher definitely isn't a lockdown defender at this stage while Castle has been better on that end. However, guarding the NBA's talented cast of wings as a 19 year-old is just a different challenge than Castle's reps against opposing ball-handlers. Wells is also a great defender, but he had a smaller role and didn't show the scoring upside of Risacher. Honestly, I think Wells has a great argument for the award and could win it. Risacher is also helped by the fact that he was a top pick, which always influences voting.

Overall, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Risacher has been nominated for this award. He's had a good rookie season and deserves recognition for it.

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