The 6-foot-9, 215-pound Risacher, who performed in France’s prime skilled league final season, is anticipated to offer the workforce versatility on each ends of the ground and so they can transfer him up and down the lineup between the 2 and the 4.
“I’m a flexible participant,” Risacher advised reporters. “I really feel like I can match simply into this workforce. I can’t wait to determine what’s going to be my function or my targets, or, , simply to ensure we win video games. So I don’t know but, however I do know that I can do a whole lot of issues. Defend a number of positions, grabbing some rebounds, ending sturdy, being aggressive, capturing threes clearly.
“I feel that’s going to be — that’s part of my sport. That’s one thing that I have to stick with it for serving to the workforce to win the subsequent season, as a result of I do know that we’re going to must shoot the ball. And that’s it.”
However the 19-year-old hasn’t thought too far into the longer term although as he displays on the feelings of creating it to the league. Risacher comes from a basketball household the place his father Stephane performed professionally in Europe and has a prolonged checklist of accomplishments.
His father gained a silver medal on the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and gained a Spanish league championship with Membership Baloncesto Malaga.
Watching his father play, in addition to yard matchups between the 2 of them fueled Risacher’s drive to win.
“It began at such a younger age, as a result of I used to be taking part in with my father within the yard, however that might be like basketball or soccer or volleyball or no matter,” the youthful Risacher mentioned. “And I used to be at all times dropping. So I feel that’s the best way my competitiveness actually got here. I simply wished to beat my father.”
Sadly for the 19-year-old, he by no means received the prospect to beat his father at basketball. He mentioned his father retired from the sport earlier than he had the prospect to beat him.
“So three years in the past, he beat me like, that was a detailed sport,” he mentioned. “After which he simply mentioned, ‘I’m out, I’ll by no means play in opposition to you anymore. So I’m undefeated.’ And so, proper now, I can inform to the world that I by no means beat my father.”
However with the Hawks taking Risacher on Wednesday evening, he grew to become the primary in his basketball household to get drafted to the NBA. They’ll stay linked as a result of basketball has tied them collectively and the way they categorical themselves.
“It’s wonderful,” he mentioned. “Like basketball is mainly who I’m. I’m not only a basketball participant, however that’s part of my DNA as a result of basketball was there earlier than I used to be born due to my pops. I actually really feel like in our residence, we discuss, we stay basketball. However the factor that’s necessary is that we preserve it easy and that’s by no means an excessive amount of. And, that’s mainly like, (how) categorical our(selves). Basketball is easy to us. And, when the whole lot’s happening, simply on the finish of the day basketball, and which means so much to us.”
As he familiarizes himself with the NBA sport, his new teammates and his new residence, he’ll have the language of basketball to assist him in his transition.
“For now, I simply need — I simply know the services of the Hawks,” Risacher mentioned. “I can’t wait to get in there and to simply work in these circumstances. I feel that’s a method of life that I’m not used to. I discuss concerning the fitness center, the chilly baths, locker room, no matter. I really feel like if I might mainly sleep within the fitness center. In Bourg-en-Bresse, which is a good fitness center, too, however not so good as the Hawks have. I can actually sleep within the fitness center.”
