Zaccharie Risacher Could Be the Key To Detroit's Future Frontcourt | POP Scouting Report

In a league where two-way wing players drive so much of winning and losing, the flawed Frenchman could bring the Pistons back to their defense-oriented roots.

As the Trajan Langton era begins in Detroit, his first draft pick will go a long way in determining how his tenure will be looked back on in several years. If you don’t believe me, just ask Troy Weaver and Killian Hayes.

With the fifth overall pick, he may have the chance to select one of the safer, yet more intriguing wing prospects in this year’s class in Zaccharie Risacher.

Let’s get one thing out of the way first, there’s a better chance than not Risacher goes before Detroit’s current pick. But with rumors swirling about the Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets wanting to potentially trade back in a draft class without a clear-cut first pick, the Pistons may have an opportunity to move up to select a player that on paper fits well with many of their current young talents.

Risacher’s Bio:

• Age: 19

• Position: Forward

• Height: 6’8

• Weight: 210 pounds

• Team: JL Bourg-en-Bresse

Risacher’s Strengths

Detroit already has one young stud wing defender in last year’s fifth overall pick Ausar Thompson, and Risacher projects to be a more than solid contributor on that end as well. While his defensive numbers don’t pop out at first, Risacher is a smart, quick, and versatile defender who can match up well against wings and (occasionally) perimeter players with the potential to eventually guard power forwards if he’s able to add strength and weight to his frame. Combined with Thompson, you can easily see the Pistons presenting a nightmare for opposing wings with their ability to switch, helping both Detroit’s guards and big men avoid getting burned.

Offensively, your opinion on Risacher likely comes down to how much you trust in his 3-point shooting. While he slumped badly at one point in the season, he also had some unbelievably hot stretches as a shooter, knocking down 56% of his threes in 17 EuroCup games.

He plays well in transition, something the Pistons struggled with last season, and should provide value as a cutter with his length and quickness. Still, he should provide immediate help on the wing as a shooter, as he has a smooth release, good form, and seems to be on an upward trajectory there.

With Detroit needing to make a decision on Cade Cunningham’s rookie extension, Risacher should help showcase the Pistons’ point guard’s passing abilities far better than last year’s starting lineup did. If they decide to continue with unproven shooters in Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thompson next to Cunningham, Risacher providing a threat from outside could be crucial towards improving the Pistons overall offensive capabilities.

Risacher’s Weaknesses

For all the important elements Risacher possesses for a modern NBA forward, he lacks the ball handling and creation skills many star forwards use to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. He had a negative assist-to-turnover ratio last season, and isn’t much of a threat to create his own shot either. That’s not necessarily indicative of him being a bust, but it does potentially cap his upside.

If you think back to the debate a couple of years ago between taking Paolo Banchero and Jabari Smith with the first pick, the ultimate difference came down to Banchero’s ability to create for others, a decision that has so far proven to be the correct assessment as he was an All-Star this year.

Smith is no slouch and played a large part in the Houston Rockets’ improvement this year, but he’s also not a star, nor the spark that drives the engine of Houston’s offense. If Risacher doesn’t grow as a ball handler, there’s a genuine risk that he caps out as a good role player, instead of the two-way star some have projected for him.

There are also questions regarding Risacher’s physicality and overall athletic profile. With his slender frame, there is a real fear that he won’t be able to add enough muscle to guard power forwards at any point in his career effectively, and may even struggle with more physical small forwards, while also lacking the speed to hang with many NBA guards. Considering how much of Risacher’s potential upside comes on the defensive end, that could effectively relegate him to a far lesser role than one would want from a top-five pick.

Risacher’s combine numbers also tend to stand out for the wrong reasons. He measured in with a negative wingspan at under 6’8, and his standing vertical leap was just 25 inches, raising questions about his athletic profile and ability to finish at the rim. However, his tape shows a fairly crafty and capable finisher.

Risacher’s Fit

The question of Risacher’s fit comes down to whether you believe in his shooting, and ability to put on weight and add additional offensive skills. If he’s able to maintain a 36% or better mark from outside as a rookie, he should immediately step in to provide help, either off the bench or in the starting lineup. As a wing defender, the pairing of him and Ausar Thompson could be absolutely suffocating for teams trying to get into the paint, and provide some respite for Jalen Duren, who struggled greatly to protect the rim at times, especially in pick-and-roll situations.

To me, there’s little question that Risacher can help just about any NBA team, the real conundrum is whether he can put the flashes of star upside he’s shown together on a consistent basis, or if he’ll cap out as a high-level role player who primarily provides help as a lanky 3-and-D archetype, such as Trevor Ariza. That’s a very useful player, to be sure, but is it the type of player a team like Detroit that’s desperately in search of another star to pair with Cade Cunningham should be targeting at this point?

On the other hand, if he can grow his on-ball skills and bulk up a bit, he could be a terror on both ends. There’s a lot to like about the idea of him and Thompson making up for each other’s offensive weaknesses, with Risacher providing the shooting Ausar lacks, while Thompson wreaks havoc as a cutter and tertiary passer in the space opened up for him as teams are forced to scramble in Cunningham pick and rolls.

Do you double Cade and leave Risacher open on the perimeter, hope you can stop Cunningham’s drives to the rim, or hedge your bets and allow Thompson or Jalen Duren to sneak in behind your defense for easy baskets as Cunningham opens you up with his already elite mid-range game?

On paper, Zaccharie Risacher fits the mold of what Detroit wants and needs from its wings moving forward. There’s plenty of question marks, to be sure. Will he be able to reach his ceiling? Are there other positions the Pistons should be prioritizing? Will he even be available when they make their pick? At the end of the day, if the answer to the last question is “yes,” they may not be able to afford to pick anyone else.