For nearly two months, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft has avoided the spotlight that typically accompanies this selection. That will change for Atlanta Hawks rookie forward Zaccharie Risacher under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

Risacher and the Hawks will play for a spot in the NBA Cup semifinals on Saturday in Las Vegas. To get there, Atlanta must first defeat the New York Knicks in front of its first nationally televised ESPN audience of the season. For the first time in his young career, he will play at MSG in front of courtside celebrities and a hostile crowd.

“I want to say there is no pressure,” Risacher, 19, recently told Andscape about being No. 1. “I love challenges. People know they want to compete (against me). You want to impress. They want to show you. Play hard. But I want to do it too. And that’s just basketball.”

The Hawks finished the 2023-24 season with a 36-46 record and no playoff appearance. However, the Hawks’ roster had talent, led by three-time NBA All-Star Trae Young. Other key members included veteran center Clint Capela, rising star forward Jalen Johnson and veteran forward De’Andre Hunter. Atlanta entered the 2024 NBA Draft lottery with the 10th-best odds of just 3% to secure the No. 1 overall pick.

The Hawks beat long odds to get the No. 1 overall pick. The Hawks chose Risacher, who averaged 11.1 points and 4.0 rebounds last season in the EuroCup and LNB Elite League for JL Bourg. With Victor Wembanyama going to the San Antonio Spurs as the No. 1 draft pick in 2023, French players have been selected first in consecutive NBA drafts for the first time.

But unlike Wembanyama with San Antonio, the Hawks didn’t need Risacher as a savior.

“The best part about being No. 1 was being able to join this franchise, the Atlanta Hawks,” Risacher said. “This is the best thing that could ever happen. As far as basketball goes, I’m very, very grateful to be here in this organization.”

While Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain entered the week as the only rookie averaging more than 15 points, Risacher impressed by impacting the overall box score.

Risacher is averaging 11.6 points on 41.4% shooting from the field, 3.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists while playing an average of 24.2 minutes, primarily as a starter. The 6-foot, 200-pound player entered the week as the only NBA rookie with 16 games of 10 or more points and the only rookie with at least 270 points, 80 rebounds, 30 assists, 20 steals and 15 blocks.

“He’s just a rookie and a really good player whether he’s the first pick, third pick or fifth pick,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “He’s a guy who’s really eager to learn. One of the things is that there will be failure. There will be bad games. There will be missed shots. We just have to get him to play through these things.

“I’m not worried about him losing confidence. But playing well gives you validation. He just has to keep playing. I think his teammates have a big part to play in continuing to support him.”

“I just make sure I do the right thing and focus on being good and making a difference. The good thing is that the pressure goes away when I step on the court,” said Risacher.

Snyder was actually most impressed with Risacher’s defense. Defensively, Atlanta was 3.4 points per possession better early in the week with its long defender on the floor, according to Cleaning the Glass.

“We focus a lot on what a young player does offensively,” Snyder said. “But defensively it was difficult for him to survive several encounters. If you’re a winger in the NBA, these are the best players in the world that you see every night.”

Snyder and the Hawks are hoping for another special performance from Risacher on Wednesday against the Knicks. Coincidentally, Risacher had his best game to date as a rookie in a 121-116 NBA Cup victory over the visiting Knicks on November 6, recording a season-high 33 points, 6 made 3-pointers, 2 blocks and zero turnovers in 37 minutes . He became the fourth-youngest player in the NBA since the 1976-77 season to score more than 30 points and zero turnovers in a game. This is the only game this season in which Risacher scored more than 20 points.

Risacher recently said that the Hawks’ goal entering this season was to come to Las Vegas to win the NBA Cup.

“We decided pretty much at the beginning of the season that it was a goal,” Risacher said. “But we want to go to Vegas and it’s great. It’s something different, something special for the season. It’s really exciting and we’re playing the Knicks in the Garden. So I feel like it’s going to be a super cool atmosphere and I’m really excited to play in this arena.”

Risacher added that the Hawks “have to be perfect” to reach the NBA Cup semifinals. And if Atlanta does make it to Las Vegas, he will suddenly be in the global spotlight as he plays the first important game of his NBA career.

The Hawks have never won a championship since moving to Atlanta in 1968. Winning the NBA Cup provides the opportunity to place a banner in the rafters of their arena. The players on the winning NBA Cup team will also receive $500,000 each.

“There is no pressure,” Risacher said of his No. 1 position. “We compete with men. And it’s still a game. And I feel like I can be good at it whether I’m No. 1 or not.”