ZACCHARIE Risacher

Last season, with Atlanta, Risacher played 67 games and averaged 22.4 minutes a night. He put up 9.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.9 steals, 0.5 blocks and 0.9 turnovers per game. He shot 45.5% from the field, 36.8% from three and 64.4% from the free-throw line, with a true shooting mark of 55.7%. His usage rate sat at 16.8%, and his plus-minus was -0.2. Those numbers paint the picture of a role player who got real run but wasn't yet a focal point of the offense. That's the baseline Mavericks fans should keep in mind as they watch him adjust to a new system this season.

Risacher's most recent outings show some swings. On October 16 against Atlanta, he scored 18 points with 5 rebounds and 4 assists in 26.6 minutes, though the Mavs lost and he finished at -13.0. Two nights earlier against New Orleans, he managed just 6 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist in 23.2 minutes in a loss. Against Houston on October 11, he had 16 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 23.5 minutes in a win, posting a +7.0. But in the first matchup with Houston on October 9, he scored only 9 points with 8 rebounds and 1 assist in 23.7 minutes in a loss, at -13.0. The minutes have stayed in the mid-20s, which suggests a steady rotation role for now.

Risacher is not on the injury report right now. There's no injury history listed for him either. For a player who logged 67 games last season, staying off the injury list is a good sign as he works through the start of a new season in a new city. Durability was part of what made him a steady rotation piece in Atlanta, and that trend has carried over so far in Dallas. Fans watching the box score each night won't see his name attached to any health concern, which means his playing time swings have been about matchups and role rather than anything physical.

The swings in his first four games with Dallas, from an 18-point game against his old Atlanta team to a 6-point outing against New Orleans, show a player still searching for consistency in a new setting. Last season's per-game numbers with Atlanta, modest scoring and efficient enough shooting splits, gave him a clear if limited role. The question now is whether his minutes in the mid-20s turn into more usage as he gets comfortable with his new teammates. With no injury concerns clouding the picture, his performance so far comes down to fit and opportunity in Dallas's rotation.