By Joël Pütz | Sports journalist
Monstrous against New York, Zaccharie Risacher has been on everyone’s lips for several hours. In addition to his scoring eruption against the Knicks, it is also another aspect of his game which totally fascinated an insider of the Atlanta franchise.
No rookie has achieved this in the last 30 years, not even superstars like LeBron James, Luka Doncic or Victor Wembanyama. This shows the feat achieved by Zaccharie Risacher this night against the Knicks, he who compiled 33 points, 7 rebounds, three assists, two interceptions and three blocks. The last debutant to sign such numbers in a single match? Chris Webber in 1993-94…
Imperial against the New York franchise, the young Hawks winger darkened the statistical record like never before since his debut in NBA a few weeks ago. Everyone was obviously shocked by his scoring success when he only averaged 9.4 points, but it’s another aspect of his game that has been talked about on the web in recent hours, all first through this internet user:
Hawks insiders stunned by Risacher’s defensive level
G Willis : Risacher knows how to use his length at a crazy level for such a young rookie in the NBA. Him and Dyson (Daniels) are going to be a defensive force
A statement that did not fall on deaf ears since Kevin Chouinard, insider of the franchise, was candid on this subject:
I had thought about it earlier in the evening. What surprises me less is that Zacch has a hot streak of 33 points in a game. What surprises me much more is Zacch who defends on the opposing winger at 19 **in every match** at a level that is honestly almost unheard of. Again: there are plenty of defenders on the wings who do what he can do.
There have been some very good defenders aged 19. But wingers who defend like that at 19? This is something quite rare.
Because yes, we must not forget that if Risacher was a success in attack, he also did not forget to show himself at his best in his own half.
Even before Atlanta decided to take him in first position in the draft, the scouts already agreed on the certain defensive potential of the young Habs. He has only confirmed expectations so far, making wonderful use of his long segments as well as his rather well-developed basketball IQ. Clearly, he’s not about to stop making fans of the Georgia-based franchise fall in love with him.
As long as he continues to develop offensively, Zacharie Risacher can become one of the best two-way players in the entire NBA. A bit like Victor Wembanyama or Bilal Coulibaly… The future of French basketball is bright.
