The title of being the No. 1 overall pick always will come with expectations. But the Hawks and their newest pick Zaccharie Risacher have confidence that he will manage it well.
“I feel like there is no pressure,” Risacher said at the team’s introductory press conference. “I’m just realizing my dream, and I feel like I’ll just focus on the good stuff and on the right stuff.”
That right stuff includes focusing on competing and doing everything he can to contribute to winning. He also knows that he has a family to lean on in his new teammates.
“Just focusing on like the good stuff, like being a pro player, who is serious, who has his routine, who doesn’t pay attention to outside noise, who is always with his teammates, who feel like he’s a part of this family,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “And I think that those are important for, especially, first-round pick to have. Because there was a lot of expectations and a lot of noise around. So it’s important to focus on the good stuff, and I’m super glad to get into this great organization with those great people who want to develop me as a player, who want to win. So that’s amazing.”
Some of that outside noise already has begun, with Las Vegas already releasing the odds for the Rookie of the Year award.
While Hawks general manager Landry Fields said the outside expectations fall on everyone on the team and not just Risacher, there will be the expectation that the French wing should have a prominent role in the team’s rotation.
The Hawks drafted Risacher for his versatility and defensive upside. Fields also praised the 19-year-old’s basketball IQ and his ability to make shots gives them even more room to develop him.
But Fields and the Hawks also identified that Risacher, as well as Nikola Djurisic, who they drafted in the second round, have the grit to withstand the outside pressure. Fields pointed to the fact that they both put in the work and have the commitment to their routines.
“Grit is something we talk a lot about,” Fields said. “(Coach) Quin (Snyder) talks a lot about perseverance, and that’s no different. So we’re going to support him and Niko and all of our players as best we can and really set them up for success. But we know like it’s going to be a journey that we’re willing to take that together.”
The pressure and the expectations will ebb and flow as the season unfolds. The first surge comes in two weeks when the Hawks take on second overall pick Alexandre Sarr and the Wizards in their opening matchup at Summer League in Las Vegas. Then they face last year’s first overall pick, Victor Wembanyama, and the Spurs, two days later.
Risacher is ready for it, and he’s ready to get things started.
“Today, I’m here and have met all the organization,” he said. “So that was kind of the first step, and now I can’t wait to make bucket here. I can’t wait to live here. I can’t wait to have my own routine in this organization, and it’s a new life for me.”
