Winner in New York (108-100) last night in the quarter-finals of the NBA Cup, Zaccharie Risacher will see Las Vegas, and it will be to play… basketball, with a semi-final scheduled against Milwaukee this Saturday. Because he aims, like all his teammates, to win this mid-season tournament, but also because at 19 years old, he is missing two springs to be legally entitled to do something else there. “I’m too young for betting and drinking,” he admits without a trace of bitterness in the Hawks locker room after the victory at the Knicks. It’s nice to have that little extra thing in the middle of the season: we can be proud of this victory and we stay focused on the goal of winning the cup. »
During a match which settled during the third quarter for the Hawks, Zaccharie Risacher struggled offensively: only two points and numerous failures, notably at three points (1 out of 8, including 0 out of 4 from far ). But the main thing is elsewhere, and the Atlanta coach doesn’t blame him at all: “You shouldn’t overanalyze what he does game after game,” confides Quin Snyder. The important thing is that he tries to be competitive. He missed shots but he defended well, and more than anything, he doesn’t hesitate to go back into battle after a failure. He had some big matches where he put everything into it, but what matters is that he continues to hang in there. »
“It’s not my best match,” confirms the French winger. But I did my best. I tried to impact the game, to respond defensively. I feel pride in defending and I like it. When there is less skill, I don’t want to be the player who is useless. I’m not worried: there are bad matches, without success, but if you work, things eventually return to normal. »
“We get paid a lot of money to play basketball”
His only basket? A spectacular dunk over the head of the impressive Karl-Anthony Towns in the heart of the second quarter. The rest of the time, he made himself available for his team, playing a ground ball to Miles McBride, and stretching the opposing defense with his always judicious placement. “I make sure to stay 100% throughout the match,” he explains. There is not a night when I am satisfied with 90%. We get paid a lot of money to play basketball, there is no room for laziness. I am not a robot and I can sometimes be tired but I manage my rest times intelligently. We play 48 minutes of a game we love! It’s a real treat. »
The hardest part for him is almost the post-match: to develop his 91 kg, as soon as the match is over he does bodybuilding exercises in the corridors of Madison Square Garden, first the biceps then weighted push-ups. a 45-pound disc on his back. His teammates Bogdan Bogdanovic and Clint Capela who pass by take the opportunity to tease him. “This intensive training after the matches is almost the most difficult,” he breathes. But I have to go through this to progress. We are a young team who get along of course and off the pitch. We managed to create an identity. We’re not afraid of anyone. We are ready to play big matches when necessary. »
For the rookie, number 1 in the last Draft, it is a year of discovery, and the visit to Madison Square Garden, for his first in New York, was therefore delicate on a personal level, like his compatriot Victor Wembanyama one year earlier, also in difficulty in the famous arena. “The fans are very active and expressive at the Garden,” says Risacher. The atmosphere is crazy. For basketball lovers, it’s a pleasure to play here. » Even more so when you win, with a teammate, Trae Young, who has focused the public’s attacks there since a disputed play-off match, and won, already, in 2021.
Risacher is perfectly surrounded in Atlanta. “I’m really happy to be able to learn,” he adds before heading off with the team to the airport which will take them to Las Vegas that night. To play it. In basketball.
