ATLANTA (AP) — For Zaccharie Risacher, it was the perfect start to an NBA career of such promise.
A wide-open look from outside the 3-point stripe.
But the French teenager quickly learned what a steep learning curve he faces in his rookie season with the Atlanta Hawks.
Risacher, the league's No. 1 draft pick, missed his next six shots and finished the night with just seven points on 2-of-8 shooting.
Still, he was all smiles after the Hawks held on for a 120-116 victory in the season opener Wednesday.
“It was amazing,” Risacher said. “That’s a dream come true. I really enjoyed it. I’m glad we won and on to the next one. I can’t wait to play another game in two days. That’s gonna be fun. Just try to keep winning, you know.”
The slender, 19-year-old forward made his debut with 3:43 left in the first quarter, drawing a big cheer from the sellout crowd at State Farm Arena. While the Hawks are in a bit of a rebuilding mode, they're counting on Risacher to help take the franchise to heights it's rarely experienced in Atlanta.
“It was definitely a special moment," he said. “I'm super happy to be here and I can feel around me the joy and good vibes. I’m super grateful to be a part of this organization, this city.”
The cheers grew even louder when Risacher knocked down a 3 with the first shot of his career.
“That was like the perfect situation,” he said. “I was open on the transition pass and, yeah, it was amazing. The perfect, perfect way to get my first bucket.”
From there, it was far from perfection.
Of his six misses, three were from beyond the arc. He turned the ball over when his foot nicked the sideline as he attempted to launch another shot from long range. His only other basket came with just under 10 minutes left in the game — a thunderous dunk off a bounce pass from Hawks star Trae Young.
“I wasn’t as efficient as I'm used to being, so that was a little bit disappointing to me,” Risacher said. “But it's part of the game.”
He knows it's going to take a while to get fully comfortable playing at such a higher level than he was accustomed to in France.
“I’m only 19, so this is a big adjustment for me," Risacher said. “I'll be better and better and better.”
The numbers may not have been much to crow about, but Hawks coach Quin Snyder was pleased with what he got out of his prized rookie in 19 minutes of playing time.
“I thought he did a really good job,” Snyder said. “The point of emphasis is you’re not going to make shots every night. How do you impact the game other ways, whether it’s a pass or a cut defensively?”
Even though the shots weren't falling, Snyder was pleased that Risacher had the confidence to keep firing away.
“You don’t stop shooting,” the coach said, “because he’s a really good shooter.”
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Paul Newberry, The Associated Press
