Zaccharie Risacher’s journey to being the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft was filled with tons of twists, turns and changes in stock. And his rookie season with the Atlanta Hawks is sure to hold the same elements.

Still, he was drafted No. 1 for a reason, and should be slated to have some of the best odds at taking home the 2024-25 Rookie of the Year Award. But how realistic is that for the league’s newest No. 1 pick?

Already having played basketball professionally, Risacher has a clear leg up on his draft counterparts. 

The 6-foot-9 forward has played in the EuroLeague and LNB Pro A leagues — widely regarded as two of the best basketball leagues on the planet — since the 2021-22 season. He played with Asvel and JL Bourg. 

He most recently put together a campaign of 10.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.8 steals while shooting 44% overall and 35% from beyond the arc, impressing the Atlanta front office.

With a game comprised of mostly off-ball scoring and defense, Risacher will need to impress statistically to take home hardware in his debut season. But that could be possible with the team’s roster configuration.

After the offloading of point guard Dejounte Murray, the Hawks are now solely headlined by star Trae Young, one of the best passers in the league at nearly 11 per game last season. Despite the team being forward-heavy, Risacher should still have a large role shooting threes and getting out in transition alongside Young.

Most simply, Risacher will need to be efficient in year one. His odds hinge directly on his ability to score alongside the rest of the Hawks in their pursuit of the Playoffs in a tough Eastern Conference.

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The Falcons wrapped up their final preseason game last Friday with a 31-0 shutout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was the capper to an already substandard three week stretch of games that saw the Falcons finish the pre season 0-3.

The Falcons aren’t strangers to losing all of their pr season games, however, as they’ve done so three times in the last decade in 2017, 2018, and 2021. While this could be cause for concern, there are several factors that could have contributed to the Falcons not competing at a high level in these exhibition games, such as them (questionably) not allowing many of their starters to get reps before the season begins, other teams playing their starters or higher caliber players (like Jacksonville playing Lawrence, Jones, and Etienne), and the Falcons implementing a very condensed version of the playbook and likely not wanting to show everything before the season kicks off.

While the preseason definitely caused contention among fans and media on the performance of the team and decisions like resting of Michael Penix Jr. after one game, there were a few players that stepped up when their name was called and delivered when it was time to do so. Those players helped make the preseason a little bit less of a slog.

Here, I’ll analyze my best offensive player, defensive player, surprise player and MVP from the Falcons 2024 preseason.

Offensive Player Award: RB Spencer Brown

Spencer Brown was a rather late addition to the Falcons’ preseason squad, signing with the team on August 11th, just two days after the first preseason game. Brown immediately made an impact in the rushing attack in his first game, and while he didn’t get much volume compared to Jase McClellan and Carlos Washington Jr., he still produced a solid 26 yards on just 4 carries, finishing with 6.5 yards per carry. He earned a heavier workload in Week 3 against the Jaguars, rushing for 52 yards on 11 carries. He finished the preseason with a total of 78 yards on a very efficient 5.1 yards per carry.

While his runs weren’t anything flashy, he showed great vision. His ability to recognize holes and and hit them was on full display, especially against Jacksonville. He also consistently showed a burst of speed after hitting the holes, quickly getting to the second level before lineman could react. He made a very strong case to earn a spot on the roster, or at the very least the practice squad, however he was a casualty of the final roster cuts, with Jase McClellan and Carlos Washington Jr. both making the final roster over him.

After going undrafted and having a three year stint with the Panthers, Brown still searches for some roster stability heading into his fourth year.

Defensive Player Award: CB Natrone Brooks

After a stellar senior season at Southern Mississippi that saw him rack up 145 tackles, six interceptions, and 14 tackles for loss, Natrone Brooks signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent on May 14th, 2023. Brooks spent the majority of the 2023 campaign on the practice squad before being elevated to the game day roster in the season finale against the New Orleans Saints.

Going into 2024, it’s safe to say that he was hoping for more roster stability as a sophomore in the league. He did his part in preseason to prove his worth, racking up 20 total tackles through the three games, and 1 forced fumble against the Ravens that came on a big hit to jar the ball out of Qadir Ismail’s hands.

This, along with a second down screen play he blew up for negative yards, showed just how hungry Brooks was for a spot on the 53-man roster. Just like in college, he proved how good of a form tackler he is, which is especially noteworthy given his 5’11”, 176 pound frame. He seemed to have a keen sense for play recognition as he was reacting to plays quickly and, aside from a couple poor angles, largely contained the run on his side. While he allowed some catches in coverage, like the touchdown he gave up in Week 3’s game against the Jags, he seemed to always be in the immediate vicinity of his receiver matchup. Brooks really only needs to improve his hand, head, and body placement to get in position to disrupt passes, and he’s an intriguing player.

It may have come as a shock that he didn’t make the initial 53-man roster last year with his impressive offseason performance. This time around, it comes as even more of a surprise that he suffered the same outcome after watching his dominate preseason.

While it’s definitely one of the more eyebrow-raising roster decision, the Falcons did sign him to the practice squad the next day. He could be a nice piece to have in the team’s back pocket in case of injuriesm or even poor play from one of Atlanta’s corners in the regular season.

Surprise Player Award: CB Kevin King

Like many Falcons’ fans out there, I had my reservations when the team signed Kevin King over the offseason. It wasn’t just because he hadn’t played in an NFL game in two years, but when he was an active starting cornerback, he often wasn’t a great one, to say the least. In the Packers NFC Championship game in 2020, King struggled heavily, allowing two passing touchdowns against Scotty Miller and Mike Evans, and was involved in a pass interference call on Tyler Johnson that would allow Tampa Bay to run out the clock en route to a Super Bowl appearance and eventual win. After taking a year off in 2022 and suffering a torn Achilles while preparing for training camp in 2023, he signed with the Falcons on April 8th of 2024.

Entering preseason, King didn’t have to play very well to exceed expectations, as they weren’t too high to begin with. However, he surprised me with his level of play as he put his veteran cornerback skills on full display. His first game against Miami was particularly impressive, as he jumped a crossing route midway through the first quarter hauling in the interception, returning it for 29 yards. He also played very well in one-on-one coverage, finishing the game with two passes defended, and forced a fumble after a completed pass that would end up going out of bounds.

While his effort wouldn’t yield him a spot on the final 53-man roster, he was signed to the practice squad, which is still a huge accomplishment for a player who has been removed from professional football as long as he has. The Falcons may need his veteran experience and leadership at the position as the season rolls along.

Preseason MVP Award

After going undrafted out of Alcorn State in 2020, Chris Blair had to fight for his spot on an NFL roster. After a previous stint on the Green Bay Packers practice squad, Blair had a brief run with the DC Defenders of the XFL. After putting together a solid film reel from his 594 yard year in the XFL, he tried out for the Titans before eventually signing with the Falcons on June 18th, 2023.

Blair saw his first NFL action in Week 12 against the New Orleans Saints but recorded no stats. Fast forward a year later and Blair is now hoping to not only be a fringe roster player, but to make an impact in what on the surface looks like a pretty bare bones receiver room.

Blair finished the pre season with 154 yards on just 8 receptions, averaging an impressive 19.3 yards per catch. He proved to be a reliable target all throughout preseason for Taylor Heinicke in particular, catching passes in traffic, and showing versatility within the first, second, and third levels. His best game came in Week 2 when he caught four receptions for 91 yards in a 12-13 loss to the Ravens.

During this game, he routinely exploited holes in coverages and showed ability to grind out a decent amount of yards after catch. While the bulk of his workload came against second and third team defenses, and these holes wouldn’t be nearly as large against first team units, I think there is still much to build off of from his performances, especially considering he was operating within a skeleton offensive scheme. Unfortunately for Blair, he was released in the Falcons final round of roster cuts; however, he was re-signed to the practice squad the next day. If the Falcons are unable to snag a quality free agent receiver to bolster the pass catcher core before the season starts, Blair may be an enticing option to elevate to the active roster early on in the year.

All four of these players played well enough to be recognized on this list, but none of them will be suiting up in the near future for the Falcons on game day. With the preseason officially over, it’ll be interesting to see if Kevin King, Natrone Brooks, and Chris Blair will continue to stay on the practice squad for the whole season or be elevated at some point to the active roster. Even then, of course, we have to ask: when will it happen and what will their role look like on the team?

Aside from Kevin King, all of the players mentioned are relatively young, and having already solid film early in their careers could yield success sooner than later.