Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher gets high praise from teammate amid strong rookie season

The Atlanta Hawks showed this season that the future is bright, and they have several players who have the potential to be something special in the league. One of those players is Zaccharie Risacher, who is coming off a strong rookie season after being selected No. 1 in the NBA Draft.

Throughout the season, Risacher showed the ebbs and flows of being a rookie in the league, and by the end of the year, it was obvious that he was putting things together and figuring it out. Not only did the fans see it, but his teammates saw the growth, and Larry Nance Jr. recently had some kind words to say about his rookie on social media.

“The kind of player we’re going to be watching for a 15+ year career. Already gets what it means to be a professional,” Nance wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Risacher showed that he had an arsenal of moves in his bag this season, whether it came from shooting the 3-ball, making plays at the rim, or defending at a high level. If he can build on those things coming into his second season, his play should lift the Hawks to where they want to be, which is among the best of the Eastern Conference.

Zaccharie Risacher should build off strong rookie season

During the season, Risacher’s mindset was to get better every day and not focus on what the outside world was saying.

“I feel like I don’t judge me, I just make sure to have the right mentality, make sure I put the work in every day so I can get better on the court and help my team to compete and win games,” Risacher said after their game against the Philadelphia 76ers. “I just know what I do. It’s a long journey, it’s a long process, and of course, the goal is to progress every day which I wanted to do since Day 1.”

Risacher definitely progressed throughout the season, and he had the awards to prove it. He won Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in back-to-back months and was a finalist for Rookie of the Year at the end of the season. That’s something that he can build on, and he should come back even better next season.

The Hawks have a core group of players that has shown that it can be one of the better groups in the East for years to come, and they know what they need to do to get better.