Former No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher did nothing to quiet his doubters on Saturday against the New York Knicks.
The Atlanta Hawks’ second-year forward got just 2:29 worth of playing time in Game 1 of his team’s first-round series at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, N.Y. But those couple of minutes were enough for him to get universally panned by spectators watching from home.
Risacher went scoreless in the contest, missing all three of his shot attempts during his brief stint on the floor to end the first quarter. The non-existent production was bad enough, but the eye-test on his play looked much worse than any box score could describe.
Two of Risacher’s misses came on back-to-back layups over the outstretched arms of Landry Shamet — a player five inches shorter than him.
Zaccharie Risacher missed back-to-back layups. 😬
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 18, 2026
(h/t @SMHighlights1)
pic.twitter.com/gs3YFfFgyx
The two minutes of misery had many fans branding Risacher as an official bust.
i seriously wanna know what the Atlanta Hawks front office saw in Zaccharie Risacher when they took him #1 overall
— 73-9 and THEY LIED (@CuffsTheLegend) April 18, 2026
no way any of those folks still have a job evaluating talent
Pray for Hawks fans they have to watch Gabe Vincent get playoffs cardio & they drafted a bust in Risacher who's doing nothing at all
— Lemon Pepper Lou (@LVstackiN) April 18, 2026
That Risacher dude is a bust. Atlanta, pack him up.
— ItWontGoHowUThink (@HighestOneYet) April 19, 2026
Zaccharie Risacher is one of the worst players I’ve ever seen
— Joel Moran (@joelvmoran) April 18, 2026Hawks head coach Quin Snyder must have felt the same way, because he chose to bench Risacher for the remainder of Atlanta’s 113-102 loss to New York.
The Hawks drafted Risacher first overall in 2024. While his draft class was considered one of the worst of the last decade, Atlanta could have definitely used the services of any of the four players that went after the French swingman.
No. 3 pick Reed Sheppard, No. 4 pick Stephon Castle, and No. 5 pick Ron Holland all play significant roles for contending teams. Even second overall pick Alex Sarr, doomed to play for the Washington Wizards, could have made a significant impact in the Hawks’ frontcourt rotation.
