In Up Next, we look at players who have shown great potential on the court, detailing their path to now, while providing an outlook of what might come next.
His Story
The French guard/forward was born in Malaga, Spain, as his father, Stephane, a French national team member (and silver medalist at Sydney in 2000), played for Unicaja, after stops in Paris and Olympiacos.
Zaccharie, who made his debut at the 2020 Adidas Next Generation Tournament, at just 15 years old, and averaged 10 Pts/4.8 Rebs, continued to Asvel’s U21s, Pro A team, and the Euroleague, with his most recent season being the most impressive: 13.7 Min in 18 EL Games – 3.2 Pts, 1.8 Reb, 58.6% 2s, 38.9% 3s
Most recently, Risacher, the youngest player on the “World” team at the 2023 Nike Hoop Summit, and silver medalist at the U19 Fiba World Cup in Hungary, continues to show signs of promise as his game matures.
The French
For comparison, in the French U21 Pro A, his numbers were: 14.5 Pts, 6.5 Reb, 4.4 Ast, 1.9 Stl similar, (with less scoring) to Bilal Coulibaly: 21.9 Pts, 6.4 Reb, 2.5 Ast, 2.6 Stl, selected 7th in this year’s NBA Draft.
Zaccharie follows fellow countrymen Victor Wembanyama whose route to the NBA included signing with a different team in France to play more minutes and further develop his game (Asvel to Metropolitans 92).
For the upcoming season in France, Risacher chose JL Bourg and will appear in the Eurocup to sharpen his toolkit.
Bright Future
As a 6´9 wing, Risacher is already a decent shooter (44% in the U19 World Cup, 38.9% in Euroleague) with solid mechanics who can create his shot off the dribble.
However, as an NBA prospect, projected at #6 by Sports Illustrated, what makes Risacher most interesting is his versatility: he rebounds the ball, creates for others, and can handle the ball well in pick and rolls.
Also, he locks in on defense, covering a lot of ground on the floor thanks to his length, playing with discipline through entire possessions.
Growth Opportunities
While he will need to continue refining his game, Risacher has displayed a diverse, efficient skill set on the U21 level in France, and in an era of positionless basketball where “switchability” and the skills to guard multiple positions have become more valuable, Risacher ticks a lot of boxes.
Get ready because the French are coming, and Zaccharie Risacher is Up Next.
