Zaccharie Risacher Not Starting Game 1 as Hawks Open Knicks Series
zaccharie risacher will not start Saturday’s Game 1 against the Knicks, shifting to the second unit as Atlanta opens the first-round series at the Garden in New York. The move comes as the Hawks prepare for a playoff opener shaped by lineup choices and the possibility of expanded roles for other players. Tony Bradley said Thursday in Atlanta that the Hawks need to hit the Knicks “in the mouth first” to try to set the tone.
Zaccharie Risacher moves to the bench for Game 1
Zaccharie Risacher started Atlanta’s regular-season finale, but he is set to begin the playoffs on the bench. The second-year forward averaged 7. 9 points and 4. 1 rebounds in 18. 3 minutes per game across 21 regular-season appearances off the bench, giving the Hawks a scoring and rebounding option if they need help from the second unit.
The change is part of a broader Game 1 setup for Atlanta, which is entering the series with uncertainty in the frontcourt. Backup center Jock Landale is sidelined for at least the start of the series after the Hawks said Thursday that he will be re-evaluated in 1-2 weeks because of a right ankle sprain.
Bradley points to the value of a fast start
Tony Bradley, now a backup center for Atlanta, said the early part of a playoff series can shape everything that follows. He said the Knicks were “for sure” demoralized after Tyrese Haliburton’s last-second shot in last year’s postseason, a sequence Bradley watched while with the Pacers.
Bradley said the lesson is simple: seize the opening game and force the opponent to react. “I think it’s very important to hit them in the mouth first, ” Bradley told reporters in Atlanta on Thursday. He also said the Garden crowd can be intimidating, but added, “it’s fun at the same time. ”
Bradley’s role in the series is still unclear. He averaged 11. 3 minutes, 3. 7 points and three rebounds per game in three regular-season games with Atlanta, while his season average sits at 4. 0 points and 2. 8 rebounds in 10. 9 minutes per game.
Knicks dismiss regular-season comparisons
New York’s Josh Hart pushed back on any attempt to draw too much from the teams’ regular-season meetings. He said the Knicks can take “none” from those games, noting that personnel changes and absences made those matchups hard to compare. Hart said the regular season “doesn’t really matter” in this setting and that the focus now is on the team and players available for this series.
Knicks head coach Mike Brown kept his message measured as the series approaches. He said it is his job to keep the group present and avoid dwelling on hypotheticals, stressing that focus has to stay on strengths rather than what-ifs.
What Atlanta is watching next
The immediate watch points are clear: Risacher’s bench role, Bradley’s possible expanded minutes, and Landale’s injury timeline. Atlanta will try to use its rotation choices to stay steady while the series begins Saturday at the Garden, where the first few possessions could set the tone for the rest of the matchup. For the Hawks, and for zaccharie risacher, Game 1 now carries the weight of the opening statement.
