2024 No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher bypassed for NBA Rising Stars. Despite strong rookie stats, a knee injury sidelines Risacher's potential debut.
The 2026 Castrol Rising Stars Player Pool was released on Monday afternoon, which features the top rookies and sophomores across the NBA. Atlanta Hawks' sophomore forward Zaccharie Risacher was surprisingly left off the player pool roster.
Several notable second-year players were announced as participants, including Alex Sarr, Stephon Castle, Jaylen Wells, Matas Buzelis, and Reed Sheppard. The list reflected a wide range of roles and production levels, making Risacher’s absence more noticeable given his draft pedigree and early career résumé.
The Rising Stars event is the first on-court showcase of All-Star Week. It features a mini-tournament played Friday, Feb. 13, with rookies and sophomores drafted into three teams. A fourth team will be made up of NBA G League players. The teams will be drafted on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
So, back to Zaccharie Risacher. His omission from the Rising Stars player pool is a bit surprising, especially considering he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. While draft position alone does not guarantee a spot in the event, top picks are typically well represented, particularly when they are contributing rotation players.
Risacher averaged 12.6 points per game as a rookie and is currently averaging 11.2 points per game this season across 36 appearances. He is also averaging 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists while playing 24.6 minutes per game. From an efficiency standpoint, Risacher is shooting 46.2% from the field and 35.8% from three-point range on 4.4 attempts per game, numbers that place him in line with several players who did make the sophomore pool.
In addition to his scoring, Risacher has contributed defensively, averaging 0.9 steals and 0.5 blocks per game. His ability to guard multiple positions and space the floor has been a key part of his role in Atlanta’s rotation when available.
His current injury situation may have played a role in the decision. Risacher has not played since Jan. 7 due to a left knee injury, and it remains unclear when he is expected to return. That absence could have factored into whether he was selected or whether he declined participation altogether.
At this point, it’s unclear if Risacher was truly snubbed or if the injury influenced the situation behind the scenes. Availability is often a consideration for midseason showcase events, particularly when players are dealing with lingering issues.
There may also have been informal performance thresholds involved, but comparable cases raise questions. Miami Heat big Kel’el Ware, for example, is averaging fewer than half a point more per game than Risacher and was selected despite having a less productive season.
The rookie player pool includes several high-profile names such as Cooper Flagg, VJ Edgecombe, Kon Knueppel, Derik Queen, and Dylan Harper, reinforcing the event’s emphasis on future cornerstones across the league.
Aside from Risacher’s absence, the Hawks’ All-Star Week outlook centers on Jalen Johnson, who appears headed for his first All-Star selection this season. For Risacher, the focus now shifts back to health and availability, with his long-term development remaining far more important than participation in a single showcase event.