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Par Joël Pütz | Journaliste sportif
Top pick in the latest draft, Zaccharie Risacher gained valuable experience during his rookie campaign. Recently interviewed by First Team, the French forward notably spoke about his matchup with Kevin Durant… which didn’t end too well for him.
Unlike his fellow countrymen in the 2024 draft class, Risacher was able to extend his season by a few games. While Alex Sarr and Tidjane Salaün found themselves stuck at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, Risacher had the chance to compete in the Play-In Tournament with the Hawks. It wasn’t exactly a success, as he struggled during both of Atlanta’s losses to Orlando and Miami, but the experience is still valuable.
What can be taken away from this rookie season for the former JL Bourg player? He joined a team that already featured established names like Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, and Bogdan Bogdanovic, and initially struggled to live up to the expectations of being the number one overall pick. However, injuries and trades allowed him to step up, eventually even earning consideration for Rookie of the Year.
Zaccharie Risacher reflects on the lesson taught to him by Kevin Durant
While Risacher never lost his coach’s trust despite significant scoring struggles early in the season, it was largely due to his defense. Known as a promising defender before arriving in the NBA, the forward established himself as a reliable presence in an Atlanta squad that otherwise lacked on that end. So much so that his coach often assigned him to near-impossible tasks — as he revealed in his interview with First Team:
“I remember it — not my best experience, but there was this one night when the Suns came to Atlanta, and the coach told me, ‘You’re going to guard KD.’ And in the end, he dropped 30 on me — like literally, all 30 points were on me. I was… man, I was crushed. I actually defended well (…) but the guy is just so tall, so skilled, he moves so well, and every time the coach subbed me out, people could see I was really affected.”
“Everyone was telling me, ‘Come on, there’s nothing you could’ve done — he’s the best scorer in the world, don’t worry about it.’ But for me, it felt kind of humiliating. Now I can laugh about it, because it’s Kevin Durant — I idolized him, I watched him all throughout my childhood. Still, just being able to guard him was something truly special.”
“But it’s not going to end there — I still aim to defend better. I kept telling my teammates, ‘I don’t care if he’s the best scorer in the world, he’s not dropping 30 on me again.'”
Probably the best mindset to have, especially when facing a player the young Frenchman spent so many years admiring before making his debut across the Atlantic.
Guarding Kevin Durant is no walk in the park, especially for a rookie. But Zaccharie Risacher has chosen to use the experience as motivation — and we can’t wait to see him go head-to-head with the superstar again, wherever Durant ends up playing in 2025–26.
