5 NBA Rookies who may be steals, 4 who might be busts based on the early season

Zaccharie Risacher, Atlanta Hawks (disappointing)

Stats: 9 PPG, 3 RPG, 33% FG, 21% 3PT

With the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks took a flier on an athletic wing with plenty of two-way potential. On paper, Zaccharie Risacher seemed like a solid pick for the Hawks. I'm not sure if it was the best move in terms of a team-building standpoint, but Risacher was clearly one of the best prospects in this draft class. As you would expect, there has been a difficult learning curve for Risacher through the first two weeks of the regular season. So much so that it's brought some concern about his potential in the NBA.

In eight games played for the Hawks, in which he started six of those contests, Risacher has averaged nine points on 33 percent shooting from the field and 21 percent shooting from 3-point range. He hasn't popped off the screen many times when watching him play and on most nights, he does seem to blend in as the one wing who seems to be struggling the most on the Hawks roster. In fairness, Risacher's early struggles shouldn't be all that surprising. This was always the risk with this selection.

In fact, for most teams selecting in the first round, there were no "safe picks." And the scouting report on Risacher was that he was an inconsistent player with plenty of potential. Could this just be a cold start for Risacher? Absolutely. Not only is he trying to pick up the NBA game on the fly but I also think it's important to remember that he's also attempting to find his role with the Hawks - who currently have a plethora of capable wing players on their roster at the moment.

As Risacher finds more clarity and comfort on both those fronts, you'd assume that he's going to look better and better as the season goes on. However, the one area of concern that I continue to go back to is his overall shooting inefficiencies. Risacher may be able to make a way defensively and in transition on the offensive end of the floor, but if he can't shoot he can't shoot. One easy way to find yourself out of the NBA fairly quickly is the inability to score at an efficient rate. In the modern NBA, efficiency is a must.