ATLANTA — For only the third time in 120 career games, Zaccharie Risacher was absent from the starting lineup on Sunday.
Instead, it was CJ McCollum, a 13-year veteran acquired from Washington, that joined a starting five made up of Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels in Atlanta’s 115-104 win over the Nets.
Hours ahead of the Hawks’ 7:30 p.m. ET tipoff against the Wizards on Tuesday, Risacher said he’s prepared to give it his all, regardless of whose name is announced at the start of the game.
“I’ve always been a team player,” the Hawks’ 2024 first-round pick said. “I’m ready to do whatever it takes to be able to impact the game as much as I can … I feel like it’s all about the team, so no matter if I start or not, I’m still going to give 100% on the court.”
It’s a move Atlanta’s been trending toward since acquiring McCollum. The Hawks’ most common closing lineup, featuring Johnson, Okongwu, Alexander-Walker, Daniels and McCollum, has quickly become the preferred group late in games.
On Sunday, that pattern continued as the Hawks overcame an 11-point deficit with a 24-2 run in the final seven minutes of the game.
“That group of guys that finished the game, by far, their net rating is like 10 points above any other combination,” coach Quin Snyder said. “It’s our best lineup.”
McCollum proved worthy of his spot with 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists and a steal in 32 minutes. Risacher added seven points and a rebound in 20 minutes off the bench.
Snyder noted the upside of having McCollum anchor the second unit, but the lack of meaningful minutes with the starters prompted adjustments after a slew of slow starts.
Even after moving Risacher out of the starting five, the coach insisted his belief in the Frenchman hasn’t wavered.
“It doesn’t reflect, in any way, my personal belief in Zacch,” Snyder said. “Zacch’s about all the right stuff, and so his development is something that’s going to continue to happen whether he’s starting or coming off the bench.”
Snyder said Risacher’s minutes are aligned with others in the 2024 draft class. But pressure mounts as the queue builds up behind the second-year forward on the depth chart after a series of new arrivals.
In a season of extreme turnover for the Hawks, nearly half the roster has joined the team in the past two months. That group includes both McCollum and Corey Kispert from the Wizards and Jonathan Kuminga from the Warriors, who has been injured since arriving in Atlanta but is expected to be in the mix soon.
“These quandaries are always there. This is just the latest one. So, we’ll work our way through it,” Snyder said. “There’s a balance there – your belief in guys and giving them confidence, and then also, we’re about winning. We want to win the game, and you have to make some decisions along that line.”
But not all changes are final.
“I don’t think,” Snyder said, “there’s anything set in stone where we make a decision and that’s how we’re going for the rest of the year.”
