When parents tell their children they “have McDonald’s at home,” it can be a big letdown.
However, if the Hawks were to say they have “Michael Porter Jr. at home,” they would not be wrong and it should spark some excitement.
It has finally happened for Risacher. After showing advanced IQ on both sides of the ball – taking smart shots, passing, movement, defending – the rookie No. 1 overall pick is finally doing the thing we all assumed was given when he got drafted.
It took a while for Risacher to get it. But heading into his 25th NBA game, generally a landmark game in the season for information-gathering purposes, Risacher has found his range.
The rookie has connected on at least one triple in seven straight games.
He began the season shooting 24.7% from downtown over his first 17 games, 15 of which came as a member of the starting lineup. He shot it with the same efficiency in his games as a starter too. But he has turned a corner, shooting 41.4% in that seven-game stretch.
That Risacher is doing this entering the Hawks’ home tilt against the Denver Nuggets is even more notable.
Porter has long been a popular speculative trade target for the Hawks.
The 6-foot-10 wing is a three-level scorer who can also create for himself and, for whatever it is worth, happens to be a long-time friend of Hawks All-Star Trae Young. Porter also profiles as a player who would fit alongside Young, save for maybe his defensive consistency.
What comes next for Risacher is continuing his offensive flow while getting back to contributing more on the boards and even as a passer.
Those can wait, though. They are not issues now, and the Hawks need him to keep shooting.
Risacher’s offensive improvement means the Hawks do not have to consider making a change to the starting lineup, putting De’Andre Hunter back in the role he opened the season in. It would weaken what has become one of the league’s most lethal bench units.
However, going to Hunter would not be a change for the sake of change. He has earned it.
Since returning from his 10-game absence with a knee injury and the birth of his child, Hunter is averaging 19.2 points and shooting 42.9% from long range.
His two-way impact shows even more off the bench alongside fellow super-subs Bogdan Bogdanovic and Onyeka Okongwu. Surprisingly enough, the Hawks have a minus-10.5 net rating in 263 possessions with that trio on the floor, per Cleaning The Glass.
If Hunter keeps up his strong play, the Hawks will inevitably receive trade calls. What will it take?
There was a time when a matchup against the Nuggets seemed daunting. That was just before and right after their championship in 2023.
This season, though, the Nuggets are just 11-10 entering this matchup.
That is not to say this matchup will be close to a cakewalk for the Hawks. The Nuggets still have one of if not the best players in the league in Nikola Jokic along with Porter and Jamal Murray, though the latter missed the Nuggets’ loss to the Washington Wizards on Saturday.
Denver is on the second night of a back-to-back, a scenario in which they are undefeated this season. Meanwhile, the Hawks are 8-7 with one day’s rest between games in 2024-25.