<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-zaccharie-risacher-biggest-areas-growth-second-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher reveals biggest areas of growth before second season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Zaccharie-Risacher.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher reveals biggest areas of growth before second season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-16T21:51:37-07:00">October 16th, 9:51pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-16T21:51:37-07:00">October 16th, 9:51pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>ATLANTA, GA – The Atlanta Hawks rolled out most of what their main rotation will look like this season in their preseason finale against the Houston Rockets (with the exception of Dyson Daniels and Jalen Johnson). <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-quin-snyder-dyson-daniels-explain-atlanta-nikola-jokic">It wasn’t the best showing for the Hawks</a>, as they lost 133-115, and were mostly outplayed by the Rockets’ end-of-the-bench players.</p><p>If the Hawks wanted to take any positives from the game, it was the play of Zaccharie Risacher, who did a little bit of everything during his time on the court and finished with 24 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Whether it was creating his own shot on the perimeter, making tough drives to the rim, or making plays for his teammates, Risacher had an impact on the game and showed the continued improvement from his rookie season.</p><p>After the game, Risacher shared what has been the <a href="https://x.com/_MalikATL/status/1979018372378398801" rel="noopener">biggest difference for him</a> from his preseason as a rookie to this time around.</p><p>“There’s a lot of things actually,” Risacher said. “The main thing is I have a lot of experience. I had a good rookie season where I learned from my teammates. I was out there playing, getting minutes, playing hard, and trying to win games. I learned so much from my rookie season. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Zacch on what’s the biggest difference for him from last preseason to this preseason:</p><p>“The main thing is I have a lot of experience. I learned so much from my rookie season”</p><p>“I’m getting more comfortable with the team and the life of an NBA player” <a href="https://t.co/yJ43y15PSL">pic.twitter.com/yJ43y15PSL</a></p><p>— Malik Brown (@_MalikATL) <a href="https://twitter.com/_MalikATL/status/1979018372378398801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 17, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“I’m getting more comfortable with the team and the life of an NBA player.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-zaccharie-risacher-high-praise-teammate-amid-strong-rookie-season">Risacher had a solid rookie season</a>, and if he can build on that coming into this season, that could take the Hawks to another level.</p><h2><b>Zaccharie Risacher is continuing to improve his game</b></h2><p>Risacher showed what he can do in his rookie season, but he’s adding things to his game that are making him more dynamic on the court.</p><p>“He’s making really quick reads,” Snyder said. “There was a play where they threw it ahead and he hit a three, [another] where they threw it ahead for a layup. The variety of his game offensively is growing. It’s not just him making a jumpshot or running in transition, which are two very important things, but his ability to connect and play with other people, you’re seeing more variety, and some of it isn’t with the ball.”</p><p>With the Hawks having high expectations this season, Risacher’s continued growth will be key to how successful they are. His play on both sides of the ball will be important, and if he continues to elevate his play throughout the year, the sky could be the limit for him.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher reveals biggest areas of growth before second season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-zaccharie-risacher-trae-young-connection-growth-entering-year-2');   ga('set', 'title', 'How Zaccharie Risacher’s special Trae Young ‘connection’ fuels growth entering Year 2');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Zaccharie-Risacher_ab22eb.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>How Zaccharie Risacher’s special Trae Young ‘connection’ fuels growth entering Year 2</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-29T09:26:06-07:00">August 29th, 9:26am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-29T09:26:06-07:00">August 29th, 9:26am</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Zaccharie <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-zaccharie-risacher-reveals-rookie-season-mindset">Risacher is going into his second season</a> in the league, and his rookie year was nothing short of amazing for what he brought to the Atlanta Hawks. He came into a position that many No. 1 overall picks don’t, and instead of having so much pressure on him to succeed, he was able to let the game come to him and support the other established players around him.</p><p>One of those established players around Risacher was Trae Young, who probably made his rookie season easier than ever.  Rischer recently spoke about that connection he had with Young and <a href="https://basketnews.com/news-230190-zaccharie-risacher-reacts-to-hawks-landing-porzingis-praises-trae-young.html" rel="noopener">is excited to get back</a> on the court with him, according to Pijus Sapetka of Basketnews.</p><p>“I feel like we established a connection during the year,” Risacher said. “Honestly, it was great for me to play with him. Obviously, he’s one of the best passers in the league. I feel like I was lucky to start in the NBA, my rookie season with him by my side. Yeah, just a great guy outside the court, too. It’s exciting to see him again in September.”</p><p>With the attention that Young requires when he’s on the court, he makes the game easier for his teammates. Not to forget to mention, but he’s also one of the best playmakers in the league. It’s one of the reasons why Risacher was able to average 12.6 points in his rookie season, and his shooting numbers continued to rise as the year continued.</p><p>Risacher is primed to take another step this season, and he’s getting reps in before the season starts playing for France in the EuroBasket.</p><h2><b>Zaccharie Risacher is excited about new additions to Hawks</b></h2><p>Outside of the growth that many are expecting from Risacher in his second season, the Hawks made some moves in the offseason to improve the team. The first thing they did was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/boston-celtics/kristaps-porzingis-trade-grade-hawks-celtics-deal">trade for Kristaps Porzingis</a>, and Risacher <a href="https://basketnews.com/news-230190-zaccharie-risacher-reacts-to-hawks-landing-porzingis-praises-trae-young.html" rel="noopener">shared his thoughts</a> on the move.</p><p>“I feel like it’s going to be great. I talked to him a little bit, and he seems like a great guy,” Risacher said. “But honestly, I’m more focused on the Euro for now.”</p><p>Risacher will also be playing with new teammates such as Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard this season, which should be a huge jump for the team as they plan on being one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

How Zaccharie Risacher’s special Trae Young ‘connection’ fuels growth entering Year 2

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/udonis-haslem-has-kendrick-perkins-moment-pronouncing-hawks-zaccharie-risachers-name');   ga('set', 'title', 'Udonis Haslem has Kendrick Perkins moment pronouncing Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher’s name');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Atlanta-Hawks-forward-Zaccharie-Risacher-1.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Udonis Haslem has Kendrick Perkins moment pronouncing Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher’s name</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-14T17:24:51-07:00">August 14th, 5:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-14T17:25:53-07:00">August 14th, 5:25pm</time><address><a>Zachary Howell</a>Zachary Howell is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints focusing on creating premier MLB content. He is a big fan of the Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Syracuse Orange. In his free time, he likes to be outside or read.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Hawks have become one of the Eastern conference’s more interesting teams. While <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-must-give-trae-young-229-million-max-contract-extension">Trae Young’s extension still hasn’t happened</a>, the team made big moves. Even though they are much more popular, analysts are still learning how to pronounce their players’ names. Udonis Haslem had a moment similar to Kendrick Perkins when saying Zaccharie Risacher’s name.</p><p>Risacher, the top pick from the 2024 draft, had a strong finish to the season after getting his feet under him. He couldn’t catch San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle for the Rookie of the Year honors, but he showed flashes down the stretch. In addition to being an interesting young talent, Risacher has given announcers a tough time because of how his last name is pronounced.</p><p>On Thursday’s episode of <i>NBA Today</i>, Haslem made a point about the Hawks’ roster. When he got to Risacher, though, he <a href="https://x.com/TheDunkCentral/status/1956087732931059755" rel="noopener">struggled with the pronunciation</a> of his name.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"…you got your young core in Jalen Johnson and… Rosh Hashanah, however you say his name. Excuse me, I'm sorry, Risacher. Zaccharie Risacher…" – Udonis Haslem 😂 <a href="https://t.co/5XKFZYq06N">pic.twitter.com/5XKFZYq06N</a></p><p>— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) <a href="https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1956096185661579665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>After Perkins went viral for fumbling a name during the NBA draft, fans have become more attuned to calling out analysts when they make mistakes with names. Haslem received that kind of backlash from fans on social media.</p><p>“Former players are destroying sports talk,” one fan <a href="https://x.com/TM_AholaBoyz/status/1956098705016140284" rel="noopener">claimed</a>. “They have become unwatchable!!”</p><p>“This is what happens when you hire nba players instead of actual NBA journalists and analysts,” <a href="https://x.com/_MylesAllen4/status/1956107033779773841" rel="noopener">said</a> another.</p><p>“Seeing him laugh at his own lack of professionalism really annoys me,” <a href="https://x.com/IceEffectFGC/status/1956098113007182259" rel="noopener">commented</a> one fan.</p><p>His name might be hard to say, but Risacher’s teammates are excited to see what he can do. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-atlanta-acquiring-kristaps-porzingis-3-team-trade-celtics-nets">Hawks added Kristaps Porzingis</a> and Nickeil Alexander-Walker this summer to take a step forward. However, the second-year wing might be the biggest x-factor in the 2025-26 season in Atlanta.</p><p>If Risacher grows as much as the Hawks think he will, he could become a household name. Luckily for Haslem, he will have enough practice saying his name to avoid future mistakes.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Udonis Haslem has Kendrick Perkins moment pronouncing Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher’s name

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-zaccharie-risacher-high-praise-teammate-amid-strong-rookie-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher gets high praise from teammate amid strong rookie season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Zaccharie-Risacher.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher gets high praise from teammate amid strong rookie season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-08T12:32:41-07:00">May 8th, 12:32pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-08T12:32:41-07:00">May 8th, 12:32pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>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.</p><p>Throughout the season, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-quin-snyder-truth-bomb-zaccharie-risacher-year-1-growth">Risacher showed the ebbs and flows</a> 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 <a href="https://x.com/Larrydn22/status/1920534684083056698" rel="noopener">had some kind words</a> to say about his rookie on social media.</p><p>“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.</p><p>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.</p><h2><b>Zaccharie Risacher should build off strong rookie season</b></h2><p>During the season, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-zaccharie-risacher-reveals-rookie-season-mindset">Risacher’s mindset was to get better</a> every day and not focus on what the outside world was saying.</p><p>“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.”</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/washington-wizards/alex-sarr-all-rookie-status-stephon-castle-zaccharie-risacher');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Alex Sarr deserves All-Rookie status with Stephon Castle, Zaccharie Risacher');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Why-Alex-Sarr-deserves-All-Rookie-status-with-Stephon-Castle-Zaccharie-Risacher.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Alex Sarr deserves All-Rookie status with Stephon Castle, Zaccharie Risacher</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-24T15:24:01-07:00">April 24th, 3:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-24T15:50:28-07:00">April 24th, 3:50pm</time><address><a>Joshua Valdez</a>Joshua Valdez started his journalism career as the Sports Editor for the Rutgers University newspaper before becoming an associate editor and Washington Wizards/Mystics reporter for ClutchPoints. He is a diehard Yankees, Jets, Knicks, Rutgers, and Tottenham Hotspur fan. When Joshua is not either watching a game or writing about one, you can find him in an art-house movie theater or working on a screenplay.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Washington <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/how-alex-sarr-rookie-season-compares-zaccharie-risacher">Wizards big man Alex Sarr’s rookie season</a> was a mixed bag, from his rough Summer League campaign to winning Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors in December to missing all but two games in February with an ankle injury. However, the No. 2 overall pick was one of the best players in the 2024 draft class, even though NBA awards voters didn’t give him credit.</p><p>Sarr was left off the 2024-25 <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/spurs-stephon-castle-believes-rookie-year-locked-up">Rookie of the Year ballot in favor of Stephon Castle</a>, Zaccharie Risacher, and Jaylen Wells. Castle is the <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/articles/nba/2024-25-nba-rookie-of-the-year-odds-and-favorites" rel="noopener">favorite to win</a>, as he should be, via FOX Sports. The San Antonio Spurs guard led the class in total points (1,190) and steals (74) while ranking second in games played (81) and third in assists (332). However, Sarr had a case to be in the second or third slots.</p><p>The seven-footer was second in the class with 13 points and 1.5 blocks per game, as well as fifth with 6.5 rebounds. He’s also the third-ever player to tally 800-plus, 150-plus assists, and 80-plus blocks before turning 20. The first two were LeBron James and Tracy McGrady.</p><p>Sarr’s main weakness was shooting accuracy. The French international’s 39.4 percent field goal clip (30.8 percent 3 PT) is below par for a center and ranked behind both Risacher (45.8 percent, 35.5 percent 3 PT) and Wells (42.5 percent, 35.2 percent 3 PT). His 27.1 minutes per game was second in the class only to teammate Bub Carrington (30), so he relied more on playing time than efficiency to inflate his numbers.</p><p>Still, Sarr deserves an All-Rookie First Team placement, which is given to the five best rookies in the league. The 19-year-old finished third in NBA.com’s <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/kia-rookie-ladder-april-9-2025-edition" rel="noopener">final rookie ladder</a> and was labeled First Team-worthy by Steve Aschburner. His other selections were Castle, Risacher, Wells, and Kel’el Ware.</p><p>Who is Sarr’s main competitor for First Team selection outside of the Rookie of the Year finalists?</p><h2><b>Zach Edey could take Alex Sarr’s spot</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Zach-Edey-Grizzlies.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Edey is the likeliest candidate in the field to snag the fifth First Team slot, as the fellow big man was productive in his own right. The 7-foot-4-inch, 305-pounder averaged 9.2 points per game on 58 percent shooting (34.6 percent 3 PT) with 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks across 21.5 minutes. However, the three-point percentage is deceiving, as he took just 52 attempts all season, while Sarr took 341.</p><p>If Edey does get selected over Sarr, it’ll be due to his shooting efficiency, rebounding, and only having 0.2 fewer blocks per game. However, the latter rookie deserves credit for producing with less talent around him. The Memphis Grizzlies have two-time All-Stars Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., while the Wizards’ only former All-Star (Khris Middleton) is past his prime.</p><p>Additionally, Sarr is a more effective playmaker. The former Australian League player averaged 2.4 assists against 1.7 turnovers, while Edey posted one assist against 1.3 turnovers. Sarr showcased his ability to bring the ball up the court and space the floor, while Edey is more of a rim presence who occasionally ventures outside.</p><p>Unfortunately for Sarr, players on winning or playoff teams often get favored over those on lottery squads. That doesn’t guarantee Edey placing over him, but it’s another factor in the Purdue alum’s favor. The Grizzlies are playing the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Quarterfinals, while the Wizards finished 18-64.</p><p>Only time will tell if Sarr gets the credit he deserves, but he’s proven that he’s one of the most exciting young big men to watch in the NBA moving forward.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Alex Sarr deserves All-Rookie status with Stephon Castle, Zaccharie Risacher

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-zaccharie-risacher-opens-up-playing-for-france-this-summer');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher opens up on ‘dream’ of playing for France this summer');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Zaccharie-Risacher-gets-real-on-playing-in-France.jpg"><figcaption>© Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher opens up on ‘dream’ of playing for France this summer</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-19T08:33:42-07:00">April 19th, 8:33am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-19T08:33:42-07:00">April 19th, 8:33am</time><address><a href="https://haydencilley.wixsite.com/hayden-cilley-s-port">Hayden Cilley</a>Hayden Cilley joined ClutchPoints in August 2024 as a Phoenix Suns and Mercury reporter, as well as an Associate Editor. Hayden graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. He recently covered the Phoenix Mercury for The Next Hoops and PHNX Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Plenty of NBA players represent France, and Atlanta Hawks rookie Zaccharie Risacher is no different. After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting/france-vs-usa-2024-olympics-mens-basketball-gold-medal-game-prediction-odds-pick">France took Team USA to the Gold Medal game</a> in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, it might’ve lit another fire in the rookie.</p><p>When asked about playing for France this summer, Risacher gave <a href="https://x.com/ATLjohnson18/status/1913594172252078171" rel="noopener">an intriguing response</a>.</p><p>“Yeah, that’s something I want to do…The national team is different,” Risacher said via Caleb Johnson on X (formerly Twitter). “I have a lot of pride representing my country. The NBA is a dream, and playing for the national team is a dream too.”</p><p>Sometimes, you can have your cake and eat it, too. That’s the case for the Hawks’ rookie this summer. Plus, playing for the French team can help him tap back into those international roots.</p><p>The NBA has hybrid athletes and can rely on them too much. Meanwhile, the international game emphasizes more of the fundamental and team principles.</p><h2><b>Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher is stoked to play for France</b></h2><p>After he <a href="https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2025/3/22/24391542/zaccharie-risacher-analysis-video-stats-nba-draft-rookie-breakdown-quotes#:~:text=Through%20his%20first%2039%20games,point%20attempts%20over%20that%20span." rel="noopener">struggled at the beginning of his rookie season</a>, Risacher had a nice turnaround. He averaged 12.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists.</p><p>The numbers don’t seem impressive, but he had an impressive second half of the season. About a week prior, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-zaccharie-risacher-goes-full-allen-iverson-astonishing-feat-career-night">Risacher went full Allen Iverson with a scoring feat</a>. He finished with 38 points on 15-20 shooting from the field.</p><p>Going back to France would allow him to get a leg up on the competition. It can provide meaningful games, and learning how to play within a system, while being a main contributor.</p><p>Either way, the improvements from Game 1 to Game 82 are undeniable. Those nights will likely be a recurring theme throughout his career.</p><p>Possibly playing with, or against guys like Rudy Gobert, Nic Batum, Victor Wembanyama, and Evan Fournier can do wonders. They are all NBA players, with the two bigs being All-Stars and All-Defensive players.</p><p>Risacher might get a glimpse at how their games translate from France to the NBA so seamlessly.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher opens up on ‘dream’ of playing for France this summer

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-trae-young-zaccharie-risacher-dyson-daniels-award-declaration');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks’ Trae Young makes firm Zaccharie Risacher, Dyson Daniels award declarations');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Trae-Young_156225.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks’ Trae Young makes firm Zaccharie Risacher, Dyson Daniels award declarations</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-11T13:16:45-07:00">April 11th, 1:16pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-11T13:16:45-07:00">April 11th, 1:16pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The regular season is close to coming to an end, which means it’s almost time to see who wins the end-of-season awards. The Atlanta Hawks have a few players in the running for those awards, such as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/why-hawks-zaccharie-risacher-should-win-rookie-of-the-year-over-stephon-castle-alex-sarr">Zaccharie Risacher for Rookie of the Year</a>, and Dyson Daniels for Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Award.</p><p>Trae Young has played with Risacher and Daniels all season, and he knows the talent that both of them possess. Young was recently a guest on Chris Haynes’ podcast, and he shared his thoughts on <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1910713219821560153" rel="noopener">why he thinks</a> Risacher should win Rookie of the Year.</p><p>“I feel like Zacch has played outstanding all year to be Rookie of the Year. As great as [Stephon] Castle has been, I’m a big fan of his, I think between the two, Zacch should get it because of how consistent he’s been and the numbers are there. Him being in the running for a postseason run and being a starter he should definitely be Rookie of the Year,” Young said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Atlanta Hawks star <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTraeYoung?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheTraeYoung</a>  says ROY, DPOY and MIP belong to two players, and that's Zaccharie Risacher and Dyson Daniels: "I love Draymond Green to death, but he's not Dyson as far as what he's doing on defense."</p><p>Full EP: <a href="https://t.co/m2XYkAdjTB">https://t.co/m2XYkAdjTB</a> <a href="https://t.co/z21WIkix2w">pic.twitter.com/z21WIkix2w</a></p><p>— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1910713219821560153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Young then shared why he thinks Daniels should win his end-of-season awards.</p><p>“Obviously, Dyson for Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved too, he should get those two awards,” Young said. “He’s been playing great this year. I think Draymond is in the running right now. I love Dray to death, but he’s not Dyson as far as what he’s doing this year on defense, and on the ball. Every game he’s getting three, four, five steals, and just picking them by himself. He’s doing stuff that no guard and not many defenders have done.”</p><h2><b>Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher up for end-of-season awards</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Trae-Young_156225.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Daniels recently shared why he thinks <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-dyson-daniels-reveals-honest-reality-dpoy-race">he should win Defensive Player of the Year</a>, even as a guard.</p><p>“I think I do a little bit of everything on the floor,” Daniels said via Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. I protect the rim as a guard. I get steals. I defend well one-on-one and contest shots. I don’t want to talk about it too much. I let the people see it for themselves.”</p><p>Green and Evan Mobley are the two frontrunners for the award, so Daniels will have a tall hill to climb to win the award. It looks like Daniels could have a better chance of winning Most Improved, and he has the most compelling case to take that award home.</p><p>Risacher also has a compelling case to win Rookie of the Year, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him take that award home as well.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks’ Trae Young makes firm Zaccharie Risacher, Dyson Daniels award declarations

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-zaccharie-risacher-goes-full-allen-iverson-astonishing-feat-career-night');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher goes full Allen Iverson with astonishing feat amid career night');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Zaccharie-Risacher-goes-full-Allen-Iverson-with-astonishing-feat-amid-career-night.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher goes full Allen Iverson with astonishing feat amid career night</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-10T19:42:38-07:00">April 10th, 7:42pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-10T19:42:38-07:00">April 10th, 7:42pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Zaccharie Risacher channeled Allen Iverson with his dominant scoring performance in the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/hawks-vs-nets-prediction-odds-pick-spread-4-10-2025">Atlanta Hawks’ game against the Brooklyn Nets</a> on Thursday night.</p><p>In 35 minutes of action, Risacher finished with 38 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block. He shot 15-of-20 from the field, including 6-of-11 from beyond the arc.</p><p>His scoring marked a career high for the rookie forward. It also proved to be pivotal in the Hawks’ 133-109 blowout win over the Nets.</p><p>It’s also not very often for a rookie to score 35 or more points while making five or more 3-pointers in multiple games. The <a href="https://x.com/statmuse/status/1910503664487207407" rel="noopener">last time this happened</a> was by Allen Iverson during his rookie campaign in 1996-97, per StatMuse.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Zaccharie Risacher now at a CAREER HIGH 38 points on the night 🔥<a href="https://t.co/8bkdz1rcvC">pic.twitter.com/8bkdz1rcvC</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1910507784665244011?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>What’s next for Zaccharie Risacher, Hawks</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Zaccharie-Risacher-goes-full-Allen-Iverson-with-astonishing-feat-amid-career-night1.jpg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/why-hawks-zaccharie-risacher-should-win-rookie-of-the-year-over-stephon-castle-alex-sarr">Zaccharie Risacher continues to show promise</a> for the Hawks as the first overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft. His display against the Nets is another example of what he can fully bring to the table with his skillset in the frontcourt.</p><p>Atlanta took a 69-45 lead after the first half and never looked back. Their offensive production flourished throughout the contest as Brooklyn did not have enough answers to counter their opponent’s red-hot offense.</p><p>Aside from Risacher, five other players scored in double-digits for the Hawks. Trae Young had 24 points and 12 assists on 7-of-15 shooting overall. Onyeka Okongwu came next with 14 points and 15 rebounds, Terance Mann put up 14 points, while Georges Niang provided 11 points.</p><p>Atlanta improved to a 38-42 record on the season, holding the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference standings. They are two games behind the Orlando Magic, as they are on pace to face them in the Play-In Tournament.</p><p>Following Thursday’s win over the Nets, the Hawks will prepare for their next matchup. They face the Philadelphia 76ers on April 11 at 7 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher goes full Allen Iverson with astonishing feat amid career night

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-rookie-power-rankings-24-25-stephon-castle-beats-zaccharie-risacher-jaylen-wells');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA Rookie Power Rankings: Stephon Castle barely beats out Zaccharie Risacher, Jaylen Wells');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/NBA-Rookie-Power-Rankings-Stephon-Castle-barely-beats-out-Zaccharie-Risacher-Jaylen-Wells.jpg"></figure><h1>NBA Rookie Power Rankings: Stephon Castle barely beats out Zaccharie Risacher, Jaylen Wells</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-10T14:47:30-07:00">April 10th, 2:47pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-10T15:39:52-07:00">April 10th, 3:39pm</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Even though there are still games remaining on the NBA schedule, voters know who they are choosing for the Rookie of the Year award at this point. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-stephon-castle-believes-rookie-year-locked-up">Will it be Stephon Castle, the heavy favorite</a>, or could it be Zaccharie Risacher, the first-overall pick? What about Jaylen Wells and the season he’s put together as a vital swingman and one of the best rookies in the league for the Memphis Grizzlies?</p><p>Whereas <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/rookie-of-month-award-afterthought-spurs-stephon-castle">Castle is a focal point at the end of the season</a> for the Spurs with Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox sidelined, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/why-hawks-zaccharie-risacher-should-win-rookie-of-the-year-over-stephon-castle-alex-sarr">Risacher turned into a vital part of the Atlanta Hawks’ success</a> on the wing. Wells has also been a vital part of his team’s success, and he helped put Memphis in a position to claim an actual playoff spot.</p><p>Unfortunately, Wells’ season has come to an end, as the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/memphis-grizzlies/grizzlies-news-jaylen-wells-positive-update-after-scary-injury">rookie suffered a broken wrist</a> during a scary-looking fall against the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday. While running in transition and elevating alone for a layup, Wells was undercut by Charlotte Hornets guard KJ Simpson, causing him to fall hard on his head and wrist.</p><p>It took several minutes for paramedics and the teams’ medical staff to get the Grizzlies rookie situated on a backboard before transporting him to the hospital. <a href="https://x.com/KSimpsonJr/status/1909879245033136459" rel="noopener">Simpson took to social media</a> in order to express his guilt and apologize to Wells. All has been forgiven between the two sides on a matter that could have been significantly worse than it turned out to be.</p><p>Wells has been fantastic this year for the Grizzlies, but it appears as if Risacher and Castle have the edge over him in the Rookie of the Year race. So which top pick will end up claiming this season’s award?</p><p>For the final time this season, Castle sits at the top of the NBA Rookie Rankings.</p><h2><b>1. Stephon Castle – San Antonio Spurs</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Spurs-Stephon-Castle-2.jpg"><figcaption>Soobum Im-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><i>Previous rank: #4</i></p><p><i>Stats: 79 games, 14.6 points, 4.0 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 42.8 FG%, 28.3 3P%</i></p><p>Since the start of March, Castle has averaged 19.4 points, 5.4 assists, and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the floor. Although he has not established himself as a strong three-point shooter, Castle has checked off all the boxes for being a focal point of the Spurs’ young core next to Wembanyama and Fox for many years to come.</p><p>His blend of athleticism and high basketball IQ allows Castle to play on or off the ball, and he plays with a sense of calmness that helps bring out the best in his teammates.</p><p>Over his last six games, Castle has averaged 19.2 points, 7.3 assists, and 7.2 rebounds per game with two double-doubles. At this point, it would be a surprise if the top player in the NBA rookie rankings didn’t win the Rookie of the Year award.</p><h2><b>2. Zaccharie Risacher – Atlanta Hawks</b></h2><p><i>Previous rank: #5</i></p><p><i>Stats: 72 games, 12.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 45.0 FG%, 34.9 3P%</i></p><p>This has been a great season for the first-overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft. Some will criticize Zaccharie Risacher for not putting up gaudy numbers, but he played his role to perfection and is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-quin-snyder-external-affirmation-zaccharie-risacher-latest-award">everything the Atlanta Hawks wanted on the wing.</a></p><p>Risacher has arguably been the Hawks’ second-best player next to Trae Young down the stretch run of the season, and he recently recorded a career-high 36 points with five made triples against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 30. Since the start of March, Risacher has shot 38.1 percent from three-point range.</p><p>He should finish second in the voting behind Castle.</p><h2><b>3. Jaylen Wells – Memphis Grizzlies</b></h2><p><i>Previous rank: #2</i></p><p><i>Stats: 79 games, 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 42.5 FG%, 35.2 3P%</i></p><p>It is quite unfortunate that Wells won’t be able to finish the season, especially since he had not missed a game all year. The 21-year-old was not an electric or explosive talent like Castle or Risacher, but he acted as a reliable presence on the wing for Memphis.</p><p>Not to mention, Wells proved that he could guard multiple positions and play at an All-Defensive-type level. Out of all the rookies in the league, Wells made the greatest impact on winning for his team, which is why he finishes top three in the NBA rookie rankings.</p><h2><b>4. Alex Sarr – Washington Wizards</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Wizards-Alex-Sarr-block.jpg"><figcaption>Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><i>Previous rank: #4</i></p><p><i>Stats: 65 games, 13.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 39.7 FG%, 31.1 3P%</i></p><p>Like Risacher, Alex Sarr is subject to criticism because he didn’t put up eye-popping numbers as the second-overall pick. However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/washington-wizards/wizards-news-alex-sarr-boosts-roy-stock-with-historic-feat-amid-loss-to-76ers">Sarr showed consistent growth</a> over his first year in the league with the Washington Wizards.</p><p>Early on, Sarr was nothing more than a lengthy big man who struggled with his footwork and defensive positioning. Now, Sarr is consistently scoring in double figures, and he looks a lot more comfortable as a help-side rim-protector.</p><p>Since the start of March, Sarr has averaged 16.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game with four double-doubles.</p><h2><b>5. Zach Edey – Memphis Grizzlies</b></h2><p><i>Previous rank: #3</i></p><p><i>Stats: 64 games, 9.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, 57.9 FG%, 34.6 3P%</i></p><p>While he has been in and out of the rotation, Zach Edey’s role has increased in the few games since <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/memphis-grizzlies/grizzlies-gm-breaks-silence-on-shocking-taylor-jenkins-firing">Taylor Jenkins was fired.</a></p><p>The Grizzlies big man has registered five double-digit rebounding games over his last five contests, including a career-high 21 boards on Saturday against the Detroit Pistons. He also recently had 17 points and 19 rebounds against the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday.</p><p>Edey is not an athletic big man like others on this list, yet he plays his role as a rim-protector and strong rebounder in Memphis.</p><h2><b>6. Kel’el Ware – Miami Heat</b></h2><p><i>Previous rank: #6</i></p><p><i>Stats: 62 games, 9.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, 55.7 FG%, 31.8 3P%</i></p><p>Kel’el Ware has been everything the Miami Heat hoped he would be next to Bam Adebayo. Aside from constantly winning the opening tip so Adebayo doesn’t have to expend energy doing so, Ware gives the Heat another lob threat in pick-and-roll sets next to Tyler Herro.</p><p>In 62 games this season, Ware has recorded 14 double-doubles, tied with Yves Missi for the most out of all the rookies this year.</p><h2><b>7. Donovan Clingan – Portland Trail Blazers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Donovan-Clingan-block.jpg"><figcaption>Soobum Im-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><i>Previous rank: Unranked</i></p><p><i>Stats: 65 games, 6.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 57.3 FG%, 30.4 3P%</i></p><p>As a result of Donovan Clingan’s play for the Portland Trail Blazers this season, Deandre Ayton has suddenly become expendable in the offseason. The Blazers rookie plays like a multiyear veteran given his understanding of what to do with the ball in the low post. He is also a strong shot-blocker who will get better defending in pick-and-roll situations.</p><p>Clingan has a strong foundation to build off to become a focal point in Portland for years to come. Do not be shocked if Clingan gets votes for the All-Rookie First Team despite not being inside the top five of the NBA rookie rankings.</p><h2><b>8. Yves Missi – New Orleans Pelicans</b></h2><p><i>Previous rank: #7</i></p><p><i>Stats: 73 games, 9.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, 54.7 FG%</i></p><p>Yves Missi has been one of the only durable players for the New Orleans Pelicans this season as the team constantly deals with injuries. The rookie big man can play alongside other centers due to his athleticism, and he has paved a path for his secondary role in New Orleans moving forward. Missi leads all rookies in total rebounds (601) by a wide margin.</p><h2><b>9. Isaiah Collier – Utah Jazz</b></h2><p><i>Previous rank: #8</i></p><p><i>Stats: 71 games, 8.7 points, 6.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 42.2 FG%, 24.9 3P%</i></p><p>Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier are going to be a really strong one-two punch in the Utah Jazz’s backcourt. As the Jazz have continued to tank, Collier has made the most of his opportunities, averaging 12.7 points and 6.6 assists per game since the start of March. Despite playing in fewer games, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/utah-jazz/jazz-news-utah-rookie-breaks-john-stockton-bonkers-assist-record-hornets-game">Collier leads all rookies in assists</a> this season (446).</p><h2><b>10. Bub Carrington – Washington Wizards</b></h2><p><i>Previous rank: #9</i></p><p><i>Stats: 80 games, 9.7 points, 4.3 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 40.1 FG%, 33.9 3P%</i></p><p>Bub Carrington’s all-around game is exactly what the Washington Wizards were lacking in their backcourt. Not only can he score but Carrington is a very willing passer who always looks to create opportunities for his teammates. Carrington leads all first-year players in minutes and is second in assists behind Collier.</p><p>He is well-deserving of a spot in the NBA rookie rankings.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA Rookie Power Rankings: Stephon Castle barely beats out Zaccharie Risacher, Jaylen Wells

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/why-hawks-zaccharie-risacher-should-win-rookie-of-the-year-over-stephon-castle-alex-sarr');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher should win Rookie of the Year over Stephon Castle, Alex Sarr');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Why-Hawks-Zaccharie-Risacher-should-win-Rookie-of-the-Year-over-Stephon-Castle-Alex-Sarr.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher should win Rookie of the Year over Stephon Castle, Alex Sarr</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-09T13:03:44-07:00">April 9th, 1:03pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-09T13:03:44-07:00">April 9th, 1:03pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With the NBA season nearing its end, the Rookie of the Year award looks like it can come down to the final game of the season. Stephon Castle, Zaccharie Risacher, and Alex Sarr are in the conversation for the award but only one of them can take home the trophy.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/hawks-zaccharie-risacher-reveals-where-his-focus-is-amid-roy-race">Risacher has shown progress throughout the season</a> and his hard work is finally paying off, and he has a good case to take home the award when it’s all said and done.</p><p>Let’s see why.</p><h2><b>Zaccharie Risacher has finished the season strong</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Zaccharie-Risacher.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Risacher has probably had the best last two months of the season out of all the rookies, and he’s gotten awarded for his play. He’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/hawks-news-quin-snyder-external-affirmation-zaccharie-risacher-latest-award">been named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Year</a> for February and March, and it’s evident that <a href="https://x.com/_MalikATL/status/1907185250356076609" rel="noopener">he has improved steadily</a> throughout the season. In March, Risacher averaged 16.3 points and shot 53% from the field, while also having the second-highest eFG% amongst all rookies who appeared in at least 10 games during the month.</p><p>In February, he averaged 12.8 points per game and continued to help the Hawks through the season as they dealt with several injuries to some of their key players. As the season has gone on, Risacher has improved his 3-point percentage and is finishing at the rim at a high level, and everyone around the team has seen the leap that he’s taken.</p><p>This isn’t to say that Castle and Sarr haven’t improved throughout the season, but not only has Risacher improved, but he’s been a key part of the Hawks being in the midst of a race for the playoffs.</p><h2><b>The Hawks’ rookie is impacting winning </b></h2><p>The Hawks are currently fighting for seeding in the Play-In Tournament, and it’s taken a complete team effort for them to get where they are despite the numerous changes that have happened throughout the season. With Jalen Johnson being out for the season, and De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic being traded at the deadline, players like Risacher had to step up and that’s what he did. Risacher is now starting on a playoff-caliber team and is putting up big numbers throughout the stretch to help the Hawks get much-needed wins.</p><p>The San Antonio Spurs playoff dreams were shattered when Victor Wembanyama was ruled out for the rest of the season, and later on, De’Aaron Fox was ruled out as well. Now, the Spurs are just hoping to finish the season strong and the young guys have gotten more minutes. The Washington Wizards have been near the bottom of the Eastern Conference for most of the season, and though Sarr has had some nice numbers, they haven’t led to many wins for their team.</p><p>For Risacher, his stats have helped the Hawks to stay competitive this season, and he’s had some big games such as his 36-point outing against the Milwaukee Bucks to help them clinch a Play-In spot.</p><h2><b>Zaccharie Risacher is playing well on both sides of the ball</b></h2><p>Though Risacher isn’t averaging the most points between Castle and Sarr, it’s safe to say that he’s been the most efficient out of those two. Offensively, his field goal percentages pop out, and is doing much more in fewer minutes on the floor.</p><p>One thing that people didn’t know much about Risacher was his defensive ability, and he’s had to match up with some tough opponents throughout the season. He’s been able to hold his own, and though those numbers don’t show up on the stat sheet, he should still get some recognition. Risacher is playing well on both sides of the ball at an efficient level, and that’s something that should be taken into account.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher should win Rookie of the Year over Stephon Castle, Alex Sarr

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-quin-snyder-external-affirmation-zaccharie-risacher-latest-award');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks’ Quin Snyder offers “external affirmation” take on Zaccharie Risacher’s latest award');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Hawks-news-Quin-Snyder-offers-external-affirmation-take-on-Zaccharie-Risachers-latest-award.jpg"></figure><h1>Hawks’ Quin Snyder offers “external affirmation” take on Zaccharie Risacher’s latest award</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-01T17:34:15-07:00">April 1st, 5:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-01T17:34:15-07:00">April 1st, 5:34pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Zaccharie <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/hawks-news-zaccharie-risacher-completes-feat-not-seen-before-in-atlanta-history">Risacher is once again being rewarded</a> for the strides that he’s taking in his first year, as he was once again named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for the second straight month. Head coach Quin Snyder has been vocal throughout the season about Risacher’s growth, and he <a href="https://x.com/_MalikATL/status/1907214627198718348" rel="noopener">continued those same sentiments</a> as he spoke about the rookie winning the award once again.</p><p>“The external affirmation is great,” Snyder said before their game against the Portland Trail Blazers. “I’m excited for him. His teammates are excited for him. I’m sure he’s excited, but that hasn’t been the driving force that’s guided him to where he is. It’s one of those things where you hear about focusing on the process, and here’s an example when that focus and that experience happens.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">During pregame, Quin spoke a lot about Zaccharie Risacher’s progress through the season + winning Rookie of the Month again</p><p>“It's fitting, given his approach, that he's gotten better throughout the course of the season. To me, it's the same relentless work ethic, the mental… <a href="https://t.co/GaHOiPVLy2">pic.twitter.com/GaHOiPVLy2</a></p><p>— Malik Brown (@_MalikATL) <a href="https://twitter.com/_MalikATL/status/1907214627198718348?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 1, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“He’s had the 0-for-8 games and he’s kept shooting. Defensively, he’s had matchups where he’s giving up some strength and he’s working harder, and he’s gotten better in every way that you can get better, and it’s a credit to his approach.”</p><p>Over the past few months, Risacher has been shooting the ball at a high clip, while also finishing at the rim. The one thing that is obvious over the course of the season is his confidence, and the team has put him in a perfect position to succeed.</p><h2><b>Zaccharie Risacher wins Rookie of the Month</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/accharie-Risacher.jpg"><figcaption>Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>In the month of March, Risacher averaged 16.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game. He’s helped the Hawks stay afloat in the Eastern Conference and had one of his best games of the season against the Milwaukee Bucks scoring 36 points.</p><p>“I’ve been so consistent over the course of the year about what I’ve said about Zacch and what he’s done in games,” Snyder said. “I mentioned the post-practice film. As much as anything, mentally, the way that he’s approached the year about him starting, finishing, playing, shooting, and it all fits into everything that I’ve tried to articulate.”</p><p>Risacher has gone through the ebbs and flows of being a rookie, but as the season comes close to a close, he’s figuring things out.</p><p>“It’s fitting, given his approach, that he’s gotten better throughout the course of the season,” Snyder said. “To me, it’s the same relentless work ethic, the mental toughness, the passion, the way that he’s approached this situation is the reason that we’re seeing what we’re seeing, and I think it’s affirming to him.</p><p>“Although I don’t think that he needed awards for affirmation. He wasn’t wondering why he wasn’t Rookie of the Month in December. He just kept working.”</p><p>Risacher has now found himself <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/hawks-zaccharie-risacher-reveals-where-his-focus-is-amid-roy-race">in the Rookie of the Year conversations</a> alongside Alex Sarr and Stephon Castle. As of now, it looks like Castle might be the frontrunner, but if Risacher can finish the season strong, he’ll make a good case.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks’ Quin Snyder offers “external affirmation” take on Zaccharie Risacher’s latest award

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-zaccharie-risacher-reveals-reason-behind-third-quarter-success');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher reveals reason behind third-quarter success');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hawks-news-Zaccharie-Risacher-reveals-reason-behind-third-quarter-success.jpg"></figure><h1>Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher reveals reason behind third-quarter success</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-23T21:02:17-07:00">March 23rd, 9:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-23T21:02:17-07:00">March 23rd, 9:02pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Zaccharie <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/hawks-zaccharie-risacher-reveals-where-his-focus-is-amid-roy-race">Risacher has been playing some good basketbal</a>l down the stretch of the season, and his development has been on full display. One thing that has popped out when watching Risacher is his play in the third quarter, where he’s heated up several times and helped the Hawks win games in the end.</p><p>That’s what happened in their recent win against the Philadelphia 76ers, as Risacher scored 16 points in the third quarter, shooting 6-for-8 from the field and 3-for-4 from the 3-point line. After the game, Risacher shared with ClutchPoints <a href="https://x.com/_MalikATL/status/1903992041731658196" rel="noopener">what has led to his success</a>, specifically coming out of halftime.</p><p>“I’m not sure if it’s about the third quarter, I just play free everytime in step on the court and try to do my best,” Risacher said. “I feel like a player who can play really well as soon as he gets his rhythm. I just try to play the right way, try to compete every time, try to play hard. This season, I’ve played some great basketball in the third quarter, but I don’t think about it. I just hoop, that’s it.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Zaccharie Risacher has played well in a few third quarters this season, including tonight (16 points). Asked him what has led him to play well after halftime:</p><p>“I feel like a player who can play really well as as soon as he gets his rhythm. I just try to play the right way, try… <a href="https://t.co/2MoD5MJs9R">pic.twitter.com/2MoD5MJs9R</a></p><p>— Malik Brown (@_MalikATL) <a href="https://twitter.com/_MalikATL/status/1903992041731658196?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Risacher has steadily improved throughout the season on his 3-point shot, and he’s credited the continuous work he’s put in to get to this point.</p><p>“I’ve been working on my shooting for a long time,” Risacher said. “I just keep being consistent, even when I have great games, even when I have bad games, I just keep working. There’s no perfect answer, I do what I gotta do to make sure that I’m getting more comfortable and getting more consistent with my 3-point shot. The way to achieve it is being consistent the whole year.”</p><h2>Zaccharie Risacher hard work is paying off for Hawks</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Zaccharie-Risacher-1.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Hawks have found many ways to make <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/hawks-news-zaccharie-risacher-reveals-rookie-season-mindset">Risacher successful this season</a>, but it hasn’t been forced. His IQ and skills have allowed him to be in the right place at the right time, and as the season has progressed, he’s gotten more comfortable.</p><p>“I don’t think our team has a grand plan to make Zacch successful,” head coach Quin Snyder said. “Zacch is just playing good basketball. I think the way Trae is willing to pass the ball ahead fits in Zacch’s ability to run. What Zacch has done is he’s started to space more in the halfcourt, and at 6’10 he’s open from three.”</p><p>Risacher seems like the type of player that doesn’t get too high or too low, and he trusts the work that he puts in every day to be where he is now, which could possibly win him the Rookie of the Year award.</p><p>“I’ve been working the whole year and my whole life,” Risacher said. “I just keep the consistency every day, and I trust the work I put in. I’m just glad I’m able to showcase what I can do. I’m glad I’m able to help my team win games, and that’s what is most important to me.”</p><p>With only a few games left in the regular season, it will be a sight to see Risacher finish the year strong, and hopefully, his strong play can help the Hawks get into the playoffs.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher reveals reason behind third-quarter success

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-zaccharie-risacher-reveals-where-his-focus-is-amid-roy-race');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher reveals where his focus is amid ROY race');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hawks-news-Zaccharie-Risacher-reveals-where-his-focus-is-amid-ROY-race.jpg"></figure><h1>Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher reveals where his focus is amid ROY race</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-22T16:45:11-07:00">March 22nd, 4:45pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-22T16:45:11-07:00">March 22nd, 4:45pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With the NBA regular season coming down to the last final weeks, that means that award races are heating up as well. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/hawks-news-dyson-daniels-reveals-2-player-inspirations-dpoy-campaign-heats-up">Atlanta Hawks have some candidates on the team</a> for a few awards, one that includes Rookie of the Year. Zaccharie Risacher’s play this season has led him to have the third-best odds of winning the award, and a strong finish to his first year could help take the honor.</p><p>Though winning the award would be nice, Risacher has his <a href="https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-hawks/hawks-zaccharie-risacher-making-a-statement-in-competition-for-nbas-top-rookie/C6EZCMRZTRBBZIJOINDYBYF47U/" rel="noopener">focus on something more important</a> for the team.</p><p>“It would mean a lot for me,” Risacher said via Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “But right now, I just focus on the moment. And yeah, we’re trying to get a good spot for the playoffs. And I feel like I’m just focused on what we can do as a team right now, than an individual award. But yeah, obviously would be great to have it, but right now it’s just not where my focus at.”</p><p>The Hawks are currently seventh in the Eastern Conference and are fighting to get a playoff spot. Getting in the top six is the goal, but staying in the seventh spot gives them an advantage in the Play-In tournament by hosting a game at home.</p><p>Risacher has been a big help to the Hawks during this stretch, and it’s helped with Rookie of the Year odds rising.</p><h2><b>Zaccharie Risacher has a mature mindset in rookie season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Zaccharie-Risacher_c3a946.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Zaccharie Risacher has not had the season of a typical No.1 pick in the past. Most of the time, there is immense pressure on those picks to perform at a high level and lead their team. For Risacher, he came into a situation where the Hawks already had some developed young stars on the team, and all he has to do is fit in and play his game.</p><p>The pressure could still affect Risacher, but <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-zaccharie-risacher-reveals-rookie-season-mindset">he has a specific mindset</a> that has helped him through his rookie season.</p><p>“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.”</p><p>“Take the analytics, which are telling, Zacch has shot like 2,000 shots since September,” head coach Quin Snyder said. “There’s some things he’s doing with his feet that are a little different. His balance is better, and he’s maintained his confidence. I think that’s a credit to him.”</p><p>It’s obvious that Risacher’s hard work is paying off, and it’s paying off at the right time for the Hawks as they try to win as many games as they can down the stretch of this season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher reveals where his focus is amid ROY race

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-zaccharie-risacher-reveals-rookie-season-mindset');   ga('set', 'title', 'Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher reveals mature rookie season mindset');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Zaccharie-Risacher-reveals-mature-rookie-season-mindset.jpg"></figure><h1>Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher reveals mature rookie season mindset</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-12T17:42:28-07:00">March 12th, 5:42pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-12T18:24:41-07:00">March 12th, 6:24pm</time><address><a>Malik Brown</a>Malik Brown is a multimedia reporter based in Atlanta who covers the Hawks and Dream for ClutchPoints. Malik has worked in entertainment and sports, and he specializes in the NBA and NFL.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Zaccharie <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/hawks-news-zaccharie-risacher-completes-feat-not-seen-before-in-atlanta-history">Risacher has continued to grow</a> throughout his rookie season, and it looks like <a href="https://x.com/esidery/status/1899912537535107485?s=46" rel="noopener">he’s putting everything together</a> at this point of the year. Head coach Quin Snyder has noted all season that Risacher’s growth is not linear, but it’s hard not to notice the strides that he’s made over the past few months.</p><p>Risacher notices too, but he also doesn’t put too much pressure on himself when judging his play. He knows the hard work will pay off, and he’s being rewarded for it right now.</p><p>“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.”</p><p>From the beginning of the season to now, Risacher has been doing a lot of different things, and though people may prefer the eye test, the analytics are also showing growth in his game.</p><p>“Take the analytics, which are telling, Zacch has shot like 2,000 shots since September,” Snyder said. “There’s some things he’s doing with his feet that are a little different. His balance is better, and he’s maintained his confidence. I think that’s a credit to him.”</p><p>Risacher has been shooting the three-ball well over the past handful of games while also staying aggressive going to the rim, and it’s helped the Hawks during this time of the season when they’re trying to have good seeding.</p><h2><b>Zaccharie Risacher showing flashes in rookie season with Hawks</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Zaccharie-Risacher_1ce444.jpg"><figcaption>Mady Mertens-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Quin <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-quin-snyder-zaccharie-risacher-dyson-daniels-assessment-hype-fans">Snyder has spoken highly of Zaccharie Risacher</a> during his rookie season, and he’s continued to <a href="https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-hawks/hawks-zaccharie-risacher-playing-through-rookie-whistle-treatment-and-getting-better/4Q7HPDCDARCA5EJ2FWRY63WGZE/" rel="noopener">see the flashes</a> just like everybody else.</p><p>“I think with Zacch we’ve seen not just flashes, but periods where [he’s growing]. I’ve mentioned this about his success not being linear where he has opportunities in games where he does something, and you’re like, ‘Okay.’ For me, things I’ve seen him working on, sometimes for people who are just watching, that’s a flash that they haven’t seen the work that’s been put in,” Snyder said.</p><p>“I’m in a great environment with a lot of great coaches, and we’ve been working on a lot of stuff since the beginning,” Risacher said via Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “So, it’s nice to see that all the work pays off in games. But yeah, I gotta be physical. I gotta be prepared to deal with contact. And yeah, when I drive.”</p><p>The future looks bright for Risacher, and with the season far from finished, he could still have a lot to show.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher reveals mature rookie season mindset

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-zaccharie-risacher-completes-feat-not-seen-before-in-atlanta-history');   ga('set', 'title', 'Zaccharie Risacher completes feat not seen before in Hawks history');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hawks-news-Zaccharie-Risacher-completes-feat-not-seen-before-in-Atlanta-history.jpg"></figure><h1>Zaccharie Risacher completes feat not seen before in Hawks history</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-10T22:07:51-07:00">March 10th, 10:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-10T22:07:51-07:00">March 10th, 10:07pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Hawks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Hawks may be in the middle of yet another uninspiring season, but the development of their young players gives reason to be hopeful for their future. On Monday night, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-trae-young-unselfishness-headlines-reasons-recent-nba-honor">despite being without Trae Young</a>, who was out with a quadricep injury, the Hawks took a 132-123 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, thanks to huge nights from Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher, who had 25 and 22 points, respectively, to lead the way.</p><p>Risacher hasn’t been the most consistent player for the Hawks in his rookie season, which is to be expected from someone as young and inexperienced as he is. But with his latest 20-point outing, he made history for the proud Hawks franchise by being the teenager with the <a href="https://x.com/StatMamba/status/1899283749537222899" rel="noopener">most 20-point games in franchise history</a>, according to StatMamba on X (formerly Twitter).</p><p>Risacher won’t be turning 20 years of age until the eighth of April, and yet here he is, flashing quite a well-rounded offensive game. He may not do much shot-creation for the Hawks, but as a teammate of Young’s, he is a perfect fit as someone who can hit open shots and defend multiple positions. And with his youth, it will be a huge surprise if he doesn’t round out his ballhandling to become a more well-rounded offensive talent.</p><p>The 2024 NBA Draft class may not have drawn the most positive reviews from analysts, but Risacher is proving that he can be a huge contributor for the Hawks from day one. He has been garnering more and more trust from head coach Quin Snyder, and the future is looking very bright for the 19-year-old forward.</p><h2><b>Hawks’ young core is shining through</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Hawks-Zaccharie-Risacher-1.jpg"><figcaption>Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Hawks were one of the league’s feel-good stories to begin the season; they had two of the biggest breakout stars in the association in Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels, although their season outlook began to grow dimmer in the aftermath of Johnson’s season-ending injury.</p><p>With the trade of De’Andre Hunter to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Hawks have opened up a larger opportunity for Risacher — something he hasn’t quite yet maximized, but has shown flashes of seizing by the scruff of the neck. The 19-year-old is a very streaky shooter, and when he’s not scoring the basketball, he doesn’t impact the game as much.</p><p>Nevertheless, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-quin-snyder-zaccharie-risacher-dyson-daniels-assessment-hype-fans">Hawks drafted Risacher knowing full well</a> that his offensive game wasn’t very polished yet, and they are giving him plenty of time and opportunities to develop into the player they believe he can become.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
9.4	1.6	1.2	0.6	1.0

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
9.4	1.6	1.2	0.6	1.0

Zaccharie Risacher news

Zaccharie
Risacher news