Zaccharie Risacher, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, experienced the expected ups and downs during his rookie season. After a slow start, he showed real development late in the year when given more opportunity. However, his sophomore campaign has gone in the opposite direction, looking less like a step forward and more like a step back—culminating in one of the worst performances of his career last night, when he went 0-for-8 from the field, including four missed threes.
Complicating matters further is a more crowded rotation. The additions of Buddy Hield and Jonathan Kuminga have tightened the competition for minutes on the wing, leaving Risacher with a shorter leash and a less defined role. With fewer opportunities to play through mistakes, his margin for error has shrunk, and the inconsistent playing time has made it harder for him to find rhythm. Still, for a former No. 1 overall pick, adapting to that pressure is part of the expectation—and so far, Risacher has struggled to do so.