標籤: Zachary

The Atlanta Hawks made a change to their starting lineup prior to the game against the Brooklyn Nets, placing C.J. McCollum in the starting lineup and removing Jacqueri Risachar from the bench. Rescher struggled during the season, and head coach Quin Snyder said that when McCollum is in the closing lineup with starters, the statistics show that good things happen.

“That group of guys that finished the game had a net rating 10 points higher than any other combination,” Snyder said. “This is our best lineup. Not starting CJ gives us ball handling and some scoring punch off the bench. But we don’t get that lineup as much.”

Although some may see this as a demotion for Rishaar, Snyder believes it could help the second-year player find a spark in his game.

“I think the biggest thing is that this in no way reflects our and my personal confidence in Zack,” Snyder said. “I thought being in a different phase of the game against different matchups with different guys could be really positive for him. And I was glad to see that I think that was the case. He looked relaxed, and he competed. Jack has all the right things. His development is something that will continue, whether he’s starting or coming off the bench.”

In their win against the Nets, Rissacher finished with seven points and had a strong start to his first stint in the game. As for the players, they don’t see a big difference in who is in the starting lineup, as long as everyone continues to do their job.

“I think guys just come in and do their part,” Dyson Daniels said. “Jack was really good coming off the bench. He came in and he was kind of an energy booster for us. Came in and hit a big shot. Whoever starts, whoever comes off the bench, it doesn’t really matter. Guys have to come in and play their roles, and guys have to start the right way.”

After averaging 12.6 points per game last season, Rischer is averaging 10.3 points this season. There have been moments when he has looked good, but there have also been moments when he has struggled to find a consistent rhythm on both sides of the ball.

On the other hand, the lineup of McCollum, Daniels, Nickel Alexander-Walker, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu had a +18.7 point differential per Nets game.

“In this case, it’s just to the point where it makes sense with CJ,” Snyder said. “I think he also settles us in some ways. And the extra ball handling is helpful for us. We’ve had some tough starts lately, and you get to the five, six minute mark when you know you’re going to get that lineup.”

As the Hawks look to move forward in the second half of the season, it should come as no surprise that a lineup change will help them.

The Atlanta Hawks have had a somewhat disappointing season, but coming out of the All-Star break there is still time to turn things around. The Hawks sit at 27-31 on the season ahead of Sunday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets, and head coach Quin Snyder has made a surprising change to start it.

With the team needing a spark, Snyder selected 2024 No. 1 overall pick Zachary Rishachar over veteran guard C.J. McCollum. Rishacher showed promising signs as a rookie, but he has had a tough sophomore season as the pressure of being a former top pick began to mount.

McCollum started alongside Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Nickell Alexander-Walker and Onyeka Okongwu. Lauren L. of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. According to Williams, that five-man lineup came into Sunday’s game with a +18.7 point differential, the best mark on the team.

In a similar vein, Snyder hinted at potentially making this change after Atlanta’s 31-point loss to the Miami Heat on Friday night via Hawks beat writer Kevin Chouinard.

“This is our best lineup by far, from a plus-minus standpoint,” Snyder said. “You could make the argument that we should start that lineup…how can we best utilize CJ?”

McCollum came to the Hawks in one of the most notable moves of the season when Atlanta sent star point guard Trae Young to the Washington Wizards. Some believed McCollum would be traded upon arriving in Atlanta, but he has been a quality contributor for the Hawks since the trade.

Before Sunday, McCollum had appeared in 18 games for the Hawks and was averaging 19 points a game even in 30 minutes of action per night. Now without Young on the team, Atlanta is in desperate need of the scoring punch provided by McCollum as they try to maintain their position in the play-in tournament.

On the other side of the coin, a move to the bench will hopefully take some pressure off Rishaer and allow him to start playing his best basketball like he was starting last season. If he can rediscover that form, Atlanta will be a scary team come the postseason.