The Atlanta Hawks gave up on Zaccharie Risacher over the summer.
There are other ways to slice it, of course. A trade doesn't involve just one team or one player. Atlanta was doing more than just giving Risacher to the Dallas Mavericks for free.
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Risacher was a former No. 1 overall pick, yes, but in a draft where there was no clear-cut top pick. The Hawks were unlucky to get the first pick in the draft between Victor Wembanyama and Cooper Flagg. There's plenty of luck involved in these things, too.
But the Hawks still might have given up on Risacher too early.
So far with the Mavs, Risacher looks like a difference maker.
Zaccharie Risacher Trade Details
Risacher was traded officially on July 19 in a three-team deal.
The Hawks gave up Risacher and received Ryan Nembhard from the Mavericks and Luguentz Dort from the Thunder
.
Both the Mavs and Thunder received trade exceptions, essentially making the move to help clear the books in OKC while the Mavericks got both financial incentive and a former No. 1 overall pick for their roster.
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Zaccharie Risacher Leading League
Risacher is tied for the NBA
lead in the early going in "stocks" — the combined total of steals and blocks — with his teammate, Cooper Flagg.
The lanky 6-foot-8 Risacher has played four games and he has both eight blocks and eight steals.
Players who are elite in steals and blocks average two per game in their given category over the course of a season. While it's early, Risacher is averaging two per game in both. That's quite impressive.
He's making a positive impact for the Mavs despite not shooting it well in the early going. He's averaging 8.0 points per game on 30.8% from the floor and 17.6% from 3-point range, but that's all in small sample sizes. It'll take time to know where he really falls as a shooter in Dallas. He made 36.8% of his 3s last season in Atlanta.
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Risacher is also averaging 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game, which would both be career-best marks.
The basketball IQ of Risacher is also tough to quantify. He's one of the NBA's best cutters, an underrated skill that can make everything come together for a team offensively.
The Mavs are 2-2 so far, so this isn't to say that Risacher has immediately changed everything in Dallas.
It's just interesting to see that so soon after leaving Atlanta, Risacher already appears to be settled in with the Mavericks. He's still just 21 years old. There's a chance the Hawks end up regretting this move.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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