A hand signal from coach with red glasses Quin Snyder to enter the game; the ball received from Trae Young, one of the best NBA passers; a three-point shot drawn with the right hand which goes into the basket, to the cheers of the public… What could be the dream of any apprentice basketball player, Zaccharie Risacher experienced it Wednesday evening for his first NBA points, with the jersey red and gold of the Atlanta Hawks, for a success against Brooklyn (120-116).
Even if the rest proved more difficult, with numerous missed shots, Risacher took the first step, displaying simplicity and relaxation despite the pressure of having been chosen No. 1 in the draft in June. “It was good, natural, I didn’t force it,” appreciated the winger, author of 7 points in 19 minutes. I am super happy and very happy with this premiere. I hope that little by little, things will continue in this direction and that it will get better and better in the future. »
” Trust “
A few weeks ago, the young Frenchman started a new life, rented an apartment near the city center, “I didn’t want an out-of-the-way house, I wanted to be close to people, discover my environment”, and conquered his new city with his speed of adaptation.
“Since his draft we have really been able to see his progress in English, his growing confidence, his personality which is asserting itself,” explains Lauren Williams, reporter dedicated to the Hawks for the daily Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In the locker room, Risacher can rely on two French speakers, the Senegalese Mouhamed Gueye and the Swiss Clint Capela, who pushes him to start speaking English, by leading the team shouts for example.
“He’s also a very funny guy,” chuckles the Swiss kingpin, who says that when birds soiled the Frenchman’s new car, he took his time to clean it despite the injunctions of his elder brother.
Risacher, a former Bourg-en-Bresse player, left the family cocoon in the Lyon region, passed his American license, hired a chef, and took with him his long-time personal trainer Anthony Brossard, to “maintain his standards and his expertise.” “The team also helps me a lot. I am very grateful for that. I feel like I’m making progress little by little. The most important thing is to work with your teammates, it is to dare to ask questions,” he explained to AFP on Tuesday after an end of training punctuated by the sounds of rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again.
“Nice shot”
On Wednesday, his parents Sandrine and Stéphane, former French international with 123 caps, attended the first match, and will return regularly to visit. “He amazes us, he is confident and he gives us confidence. We are proud of him and calm,” explains his mother.
“He has always been passionate, with a thirst for learning, for doing things well, by listening, always with this notion of wanting to understand how we do things, with an obsessive side. In U11 he had missed a lay-up with his left hand, before the following training he did 1h30 of starts and lay-ups with his left hand,” continues his father, leader of training in the family garden for Zaccharie and his younger sister Aïnhora ( player at Asvel).
Born with a ball in hand, Risacher, who does not believe he was predestined, was chosen No. 1 in the draft, like Victor Wembanyama a year earlier. “For me there is no comparison that can be made with Victor, he is a unique player, I am just admiring of what he does,” he says. If he arouses lower expectations than the San Antonio Spurs phenomenon, a year older, a few jerseys flocked with the Frenchman’s No. 10 stroll around the State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Wednesday, between the match and the show of the halftime performance of rapper Gucci Mane.
“I bought it right after the draft. And Zaccharie showed great promise in pre-season, he defends well, he dunks, I have confidence in him for the future,” explains Conor Winters, an enthusiastic 30-year-old supporter. “He has a very nice shot,” says Hawks star Trae Young. We have to keep passing him the ball, he will score a lot of baskets for us and make us better. » And this from Friday against Charlotte, for the second NBA match of his young career.
The three other French people on the floor did not meet with the same success. Returning to the Los Angeles Clippers (after a first stint between 2020 and 2023), Nicolas Batum lost in overtime against Phoenix (113-116). Rayan Rupert scored 6 points (3 of 4 on shots in 17 minutes) during Portland’s heavy defeat against the Golden State Warriors (104-139). As for Guerschon Yabusele, back in the NBA with the Philadelphia Sixers, his 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals were not enough against Milwaukee (109-124)
