Hot Takes on Hawks’ Zaccharie Risacher vs. Ingram, Spurs with Stephon Castle Out

By temporary On Jul 17, 2024 36

Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images

As San Antonio Spurs No. 4 pick Stephon Castle sat out due to a wrist sprain, Atlanta Hawks No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher had the perfect opportunity to steal the show in Sunday’s prime-time Summer League matchup in Las Vegas.

Unfortunately, the 19-year-old struggled to get going as he finished with just 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting in a 79-76 loss. He made just one of his seven three-point attempts and added five rebounds, two assists and a block.

Risacher’s lackluster performance came after he impressed with 18 points and five rebounds in his Summer League debut. Sunday’s game could be an anomaly, as the Frenchman has shown flashes of being an effective NBA player.

E.J. Liddell led the Hawks with 22 points off the bench. D’Moi Hodge had a team-high 13 points for the Spurs, while 2024 second-round pick Harrison Ingram had six points on 2-of-10 shooting.

Despite Risacher’s struggles on Sunday, fans were able to find things worth praising from his performance:

NBA @NBA

No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher gets the lefty hook to go in #PhantomCam. 📸

📺 Spurs-Hawks | Live on ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/IUPcgur0Vj

Atlanta Hawks @ATLHawks

Trae on Zacch’s game 📝

And his progress learning French 😅 pic.twitter.com/VIL50zAzsS

Hawks Surf @HawksSurf

Zaccharie Risacher is hitting 3s, throwing lobs, and SNATCHING ANKLES at Summer League.

Unfortunately he didn’t knock this one down, but for someone who gets criticized for his handle, this should give the rook some confidence.

(Via @TomerAzarly) pic.twitter.com/yxmte3xDOO

DIRTYBIRDS @ATLVsTheWRLD

I can tell Risacher shot gon be lethal when it starts droppin

Moe @Mohamad2104

Risacher had some good looks, shot not on tonight though

Exotic @ExoticOwns

Him playing sg will be great. Maybe a start next to Trae if he uses his length right https://t.co/eBZr30ZEep

Kj 🏂 @kjunlocked

6’10 shooting guard im smelling joe Johnson Tatum hybrid 🤔 https://t.co/o01qzXPNlh

Atlantaholic_ @Atlantaholic_

The box score may not look great tonight for Risacher but that’s more a product of who he’s playing with. Impressed with his IQ, reads, handle, and shot. I see the vision.

ATLien UncleMoonk @GradybabyMunk

That boy Risacher can shoot like hell. You can just see it. Nah this dude bout to live the good life

Risacher will have a few days to work on things before returning to action when the Hawks take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. Fans will surely be excited to see how he performs against the Lakers’ impressive rookie duo of Dalton Knecht and Bronny James.