The Dallas Mavericks have handed Zaccharie Risacher a reset, and the former No. 1 overall pick is stepping into it with a few unanswered questions still lingering from his time with the Atlanta Hawks.
Dallas landed Risacher in a trade a few months ago, sending Ryan Nembhard - who had gone undrafted the year before - and a second-round pick to Atlanta. Since then, the Hawks moved Nembhard and Buddy Hield to the Charlotte Hornets for Dorian Finney-Smith, another former Maverick. Charlotte waived Nembhard on Saturday, and if he clears waivers, the Denver Nuggets are expected to be the frontrunner to sign him to a two-way contract.
Risacher’s move to Dallas comes after a second season in Atlanta that clearly didn’t go the way he expected. In an interview with "Locked On Mavs," he said the ending caught him off guard.
“I feel like I had a good first season. I was told I... exceeded expectations.
It was really surprising to me, this second season, I didn’t really know much about what was happening," Risacher admitted in an interview with "Locked On Mavs." "I was a part of a team that was competing for a playoff spot, and I understand it’s a part of the game...
Someday you could be somebody that's valued, that matters to a team, and someday...”
Saturday was the first day of training camp for the Mavericks, and Risacher was on the floor for the team’s opening practice. Afterward, he talked about the pressure that came with being the top pick.
"Definitely was a lot of pressure, but at the same time, everything happened so fast that I just put the work in. As an NBA players, there's so [many] games to get ready [for], you don't have time to think about that," Risacher said.
That pressure showed up in the numbers, too. Risacher started 46 games last season after starting 73 as a rookie, and his scoring dipped from 12.6 points per game to 9.6.
Now he gets a fresh start in a new city, and Dallas gives him a different setup around him. Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving are the faces of the franchise, and Risacher also appears to have a coaching staff that’s more open to letting him develop.
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