The atmosphere was gloomy in the Hawks locker room after their heavy defeat at Golden State. One of the last players to come out was the French rookie, Zacharie Risacher. Author of a discreet match where he scored more than half of his 12 points in “garbage time”, he continues his discovery of the Great League.
Two days earlier, the first choice of the last Draft had performed well in Sacramento, finishing the meeting with 18 points at more than 50% shooting success. An address bar that he only reached 4 times in 16 outings. However, despite this checkered start to the season, the Frenchman is satisfied with the way he is progressing.
For DNA of Sports, he looked back on his first month of the season, on the Hawks' vision of his development, and on how he approaches his life in the NBA, with the kind support of Clint Capela.
Zaccharie, it was a difficult evening for your team tonight, facing the Warriors who have been in full swing since the start of the season. What went wrong tonight and how is Golden State's game different from other NBA teams?
We wanted to stay on the good momentum of Sacramento and it's a defeat that hurts because I have the feeling that we didn't manage to play our game and continue to build on what we had managed to do. against the Kings. But as you said, it's true that it's a great team, with great players, with a lot of movement. Against this kind of teams, you don't really have the right to make a mistake otherwise they will make you pay cash. You can play with intensity but if you're not rigorous, it gets hard quite quickly. We have to be able to play our basketball without making too many mistakes and that wasn't necessarily the case this evening. And then we didn't put our shots open. It's a whole.
“I’m frustrated but not worried. Overall, I'm really happy with this start to the season, and these are just my first steps in the league.”
At halftime, they already had 17 points on the counter-attack and we really felt a difference between their intensity, their energy and yours. It was also your third away game in four days (Portland, Sacramento, Golden State), did that affect the team's performance tonight?
It's possible, even if I have difficulty making an immediate, off-the-cuff observation. They had a good game, they have players like Stephen Curry who are difficult to stop, and we didn't make the stops we needed, especially in transition to hinder their rhythm. It's true that we played a lot, we moved a lot this week so obviously that plays a role but it's not an excuse. We work hard to be as least impacted by travel and repeat matches. It's a defeat that is difficult to swallow but we have another match in two days (in Chicago on the night of Friday to Saturday). It's a bit of the magic of the NBA, we play every 48 hours so we can bounce back quickly.
You mention Stephen Curry, what's it like sharing the court with a superstar you're used to seeing on TV or on the networks?
It was great! When I was younger, I used to get up at night to watch him play. Being on the same field as him is a bit unreal. It would have been better if we had won but it was still cool.
We are already approaching the end of the first quarter of the season, how do you judge your start to the season?
I'm quite happy with the way I found my feet, the way I managed to find my place in this team. In terms of play, it's more mixed. I don't find myself consistent enough, especially when shooting. It's one of my strengths and it's frustrating not to be as consistent and skillful as I used to be. Afterwards I'm not just a shooter, and I'm quite satisfied with the way I manage to express myself in other aspects of the game, despite lower percentages than I would like. That said, my mentality does not change. I'm going to keep working and I know that's how it's going to end up being. I have confidence in the work I do every day. I'm frustrated but not worried. Overall, I'm really happy with the start of the season, and these are just my first steps in the league.
With Quin Snyder (his coach) and Landry Fields (the Hawks GM), have you established a road map of development, of the progression that they want to see from you for your rookie season?
I don't have a precise roadmap but I know where we want to go. I feel like people believe in me. Daily, I see the work that we do and the intentions that are put in place day after day to help me progress, particularly so that I can put the ball on the ground more. The goal and vision are clear. Physically too, there is a lot of work done with the physical trainers. It really is a whole. The game, the physical aspect, and also the daily approach, the preparation. I have the impression that everything is calibrated to help me progress at all times…
“Everything is really thought out to maximize my performance on the pitch. There is a lot of work that is done upstream with this objective in mind”
We saw you working on your core after the match outside the locker room…
Yes, there you go. In fact, everything is really thought out to maximize my performance on the field. There is a lot of work that is done upstream with this objective in mind. I really like this balance between development and immediate performance. It's a lot of extra work outside of matches but I'm really happy with it. I build my routines, my habits. I actually create my daily life as an NBA player. And then there's being able to talk to my teammates who have experience in the league and I try to draw inspiration from what everyone can do, try specific elements of their routine to see what suits me and build that foundation.
Finally, does the main adjustment for you come more off the field? Taking your bearings in this NBA life in a new country and with a new way of operating, rather than what you can experience on the field, even if there is a difference in style?
There are a lot of differences at the basketball level compared to what I have experienced in France and in Europe but I would still say that it is the sidelines, what is off the field, which asks me the most adjustments. When I'm on the court, it's basketball, it's familiar, I feel like I'm more in control, more comfortable than in everyday life. The changes I face off the field have a greater impact on me. Despite everything, I think I'm handling the situation well. It's a great experience, there are a lot of discoveries but it's still a change so you have to adapt. If I compare with what I experienced in Bourg or in the training center, everything is much bigger. And you can't really prepare for it in advance. You have to experience it to truly understand this new reality. But there's no anxiety or fear or disillusionment, I'm just really happy to have this experience. It's a big stage in my life that's taking shape, and I'm trying to make the most of it.
We imagine that the presence of Clint Capela at your side allows you to approach this transition with more serenity?
Yes yes, of course. Plus French speaking so it feels good to be able to speak French in the locker room. Even if I get by in English, there are always jokes or turns of phrase that I don't understand yet. It's a different culture and Clint has been through that before. He is European so he has the same habits as me, he understands where I come from. So, he explains a lot of things to me, we communicate and I'm really grateful for that. Plus he also has a lot of experience in this league, so whether it's on or off the field, I know I can always call on him. And he made it clear to me from the start.
Comments collected in San Francisco.
