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Apr 1, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) brings the ball up the court against the Portland Trail Blazers during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

EuroBasket 2025: Atlanta Hawks Zaccharie Risacher Puts Together Another Efficient Performance Against Israel

Originally posted on Atlanta Hawks on SI
By Kahlil McCuller | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 2:48 PM ET

France played in a physical matchup with Israel today. Still, it didn't stop them from getting the victory, as Atlanta Hawks player Zaccharie Risacher showed flashes yet again as to why Atlanta drafted him with the number one overall pick last summer. Risacher put up a solid performance in the first half, showing continued improvement in his game this summer on both offense and defense. His first half stats were 10 points, two assists, and one block on 67% shooting from the field, 2/2 100% shooting from three-point range. In the second half, Risacher didn't maintain his high-scoring pace, scoring only two more points, finishing with 14 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in 24 minutes of play.

What Hawks fans should care about in Risacher's performance is his improved confidence when shooting the three-ball, defensive rotations, and his ability to get to the basket with confidence, no matter who's around. I also found that Risacher can be a consistent and efficient scorer, even when playing a low number of minutes in each game, and still finds himself among the best in France in terms of points scored per game. As far as weaknesses, I feel like Risacher has to work on his free throws, as he shoots 66% in EuroBasket and 71% in the NBA, which isn't all that good for a player at his size or that will be looked at for scoring, especially in late-game situations with the ball in his hands.

Zaccharie Risacher has taken a step forward this summer and has showcased it through his EuroBasket play

He’s not just hitting his trademark movement 3s, but he’s also stronger and more aggressive on both ends

Love seeing him make plays with his length pic.twitter.com/Dt8koKhbB7
— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) August 31, 2025

Another efficient performance

France performed reasonably well in the first half, keeping the score tied and holding the lead for 14 minutes. They also took care of the basketball, turning the ball over only five times, and moved the ball well as a team, with 12 assists at the break. Things got tricky in the second half, however, as Israel began to pull away as France struggled with stopping them from scoring inside, as they finished with 40 points in the paint and shot a much better 49% from the field, as France shot even worse in the second half, going 25% from three-point range and 37% from the field.

Big-picture takeaways from this game are that for Risacher, he will need to improve his free-throw shooting and become a consistent go-to scorer, as he started hot in the first half. The team will need him to continue his hot shooting at times, as they did today. For France, they will now fall to second behind Israel in the Group D standings. Still, the key here would be to find some offensive and defensive consistency to close the deal in the second half, when games get tight, as they will face an efficient, undefeated Poland team that can shoot the three-point ball well.

For the Hawks, this should be an encouraging sign, as Risacher has shown improvement both on the offensive and defensive ends of the court and will make the team better going forward, as they need improvement on both ends. The thing that will help them most is Risacher's shooting ability from deep, as he struggled at times shooting from long range last season, and so did the rest of the team.

Today’s leading scorer for @FRABasketball @Zacch_10 pic.twitter.com/M23k646d9b
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) August 31, 2025

France returns to action against Poland on Tuesday, September 2, at 2:30 PM ET. Hawks fans should look for Risacher to continue his high offensive output and defensive prowess as France looks to regain control of potentially being the number one team in Group D of EuroBasket play.