France's Zacchaire Risacher has risen up to a top-5 consensus ranking early in the cycle, looking the part of a 3-and-D+ wing capable of defending, knocking down 3's, and making reads at a high level. Recent mock drafts drew me to switching from college to international play for this week's scouting dive. Tankathon, Bleacher Report, and No Ceilings all mocked Zacchaire Risacher to the Grizzlies in the top 5.
Are mock drafts always right? No.
Will the Grizzlies be picking in the top 5? It's incredibly unlikely with the returns of Ja Morant, Marcus Smart, and Luke Kennard?
Would Risacher be my pick with how those boards shake? Debatable.
Nonetheless, Risacher has an intriguing skillset coupled with physical tools (6'9" with a 6'11" wingspan) and youth (still 18 years old). He still has room to grow, but as long as he continues producing at a professional level, he won't be waiting long to hear his name called on draft night.
Statline: 14 points (3-5 from the field, 1-2 from 3, 7-8 from the free throw line), 5 rebounds, 1 assist (2 turnovers), 0 steals, 0 blocks in 30 minutes.
Offense
It was a relatively quiet 14 points for Risacher. For a 45% 3-point shooter, the ball didn't find him very often. His teammates didn't swing the ball too him often, and there weren't many sets run for him. He was left floating between the perimeter, often a pass away from the action.
Even in a limited role, Risacher provided good flashes on the offensive end.
To get his signature offensive skill out of the way, he only attempted 2 three's, making just 1. His jumper has a fluid up-and-down motion and a feathery touch, nothing super fixable in his mechanics right now. He's typically operated as a catch-and-shoot guy thus far.
Risacher had 2 turnovers against 1 assist, and none of those stats are a true indicator of his playmaking potential. In this game in particular, he dished a few great reads resulting in buckets for his teammates.
Diving into specifically the 2nd action, his processing speed out of the staggered screen was impressive, illustrating 0.5-second decision-making desired out of NBA offenses. Unfortunately, his teammate didn't get his bucket in a timely manner to credit him for the assist.
Despite his limited usage, he was aggressive seeking out driving opportunities to get to the free throw line. There wasn't anything crazy or mind-blowing in his drives, as he was more so attacking closeouts with straight-line drives on his way to the tin.
He could also beneift from added strength on his drives, as there were a few instances it limited him from powering through contact -- resulting in a missed shot or turnover.
Defense
Risacher has the tools to be a fantastic, versatile defender -- capable of hounding the perimeter. He still has a ways to go though. Obviously, scouts and analysts will point to his strength, which should come with age and in a NBA program. With off-ball defense specifically, he seemed a bit lost. He would ball-watch and lose his man, and he could be seen looking for his assignment within offensive movement. He should grow in this regard with more reps in a professional setting.
Even within his off-ball defense, his timing to jump passing lanes is rather impeccable, forcing a handful of turnovers just from staying active and disrupting the offense.
He didn't get many opportunities at the point-of-attack, but his perimeter defense stood out.
I wanted to highlight this specific play. Risachar's activity is remarkable here. He navigates the screens both on and off the ball well at the beginning of the sequence. There was a switch that drew the ball-handler high, where he recovered on his man to avoid a mismatch with the big defender. On the drive at the nail, his teammate slides to help, as Risachar rotated too far over. However, Risachar switched and stuck on the ball-handler to force a fadeaway 3.
Risachar also demonstrates verticality well from closeouts and from low-man rotations. In his closeouts, he maintains proper spacing to avoid a 3-shot foul, while waiting to elevate until the jumper leaves his feet. While his rotations were shaky, he had a sequence he rotated and showed tremendous verticality to prevent an easy layup.
What to monitor: processing speed
Zacchaire Risacher has already flashed upside as a 3-and-D wing as the best shooter and best defender for a professional level team. He's already showing to be a quick decision-maker with his connective passing. Even within that, he can still grow as the game slows down for him. We've seen that happen with younger international prospects over the past few years -- Josh Giddey, Killian Hayes, Bilal Coulibaly are names that stand out. When that happens for Risacher, the flashes should grow brighter, and his defensive chops should pop out more -- and he could solidify himself as a top-5 pick in this year's draft.
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