Atlanta Hawks First Overall Pick Struggling Offensively

The Atlanta Hawks took Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Atlanta only had a 3% chance to win the lottery, but it overcame the odds. Risacher entered a strange situation because the Hawks were not in a rebuilding situation. They wanted to escape the play-in purgatory and push for the playoffs. Trae Young still led the squad, and Jalen Johnson started to emerge as a young, promising star. As a result, Atlanta could not hand over the keys to Risacher like a typical No. 1 pick. He had a smaller role in his first two campaigns, but early returns have not been promising for his sophomore campaign.

Atlanta Hawks First Overall Pick Struggling Offensively

Zaccharie Risacher’s Inconsistent Shooting Numbers

Risacher averaged 12.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in his rookie season. He started slowly from beyond the arc, shooting under 30%, but once the calendar flipped to 2025, he found the range. Risacher never shot below 36.7% on 3-pointers over the campaign’s final four months. He finished the season strong, earning All-Rookie First-Team honors. This encouraging trend gave Hawks fans hope heading into the 2025-26 campaign.

However, Risacher has not continued his elite 3-point shooting from the end of last season. The 20-year-old shoots  35.2% from deep on 4.3 attempts per game this season. That efficiency is certainly more than respectable, but he has not found the elite consistency he displayed to close his rookie campaign.

The forward puts up 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists this season. His stats were likely to drop this season due to Jalen Johnson’s return to the lineup after suffering a season-ending torn labrum last January. Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s unexpected emergence as a 20-point scorer also threw a wrench into upping Risacher’s usage. The No. 1 pick carries an 18.4% usage this season compared to 20.9% as a rookie.

Quin Snyder’s Keeps Risacher’s Minutes Down

Risacher’s offensive development, especially on the ball, is essential if Atlanta expects to take the next step. However, head coach Quin Snyder is not doing him any favors by playing him just 24.2 minutes per game after 24.6 in his first season. The media and fans alike often wonder why Risacher does not play more or finish games, even when he plays well.