Southeast Notes: McCollum, Herro, Carter, Penda

CJ McCollum replaced Zaccharie Risacher in the Hawks‘ starting lineup for today’s game against the Nets, a move that shifts the former number one overall pick to the bench for the first time in his career. Previously, Risacher had started in 117 of his first 119 games.

This move comes as a continuation of coach Quin Snyder’s trust in the veteran guard. Recently, he discussed closing games with McCollum over Risacher.

“That is, by far, our best lineup from a plus-minus standpoint,” he said, per Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com (Twitter link). “You could make an argument that we should start that lineup … How can we best use CJ?”

Lauren L. Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes (via Twitter) that people around the league believe Risacher puts a lot of pressure on himself, and this move could help relieve some of the external pressure.

The Hawks fell behind against the Nets but completed a fourth-quarter comeback, winning 115 to 104. McCollum had 16 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, while Risacher had seven points off the bench.

We have more from around the Southeast:

• After missing over a month with a rim injury, Tyler Herro has come off the bench for the Heat‘s last two games, both of which were wins. It’s a role he’s very familiar with, Ira Winderman writes for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “It doesn’t really feel like I’m out of place, because we got guys that can start and I’m comfortable in my role and in myself,” Herro said. “So I’m happy where I’m at.” Herro scored 24 points in 23 minutes as a reserve in his return to action against the Hawks, and 14 points on 15 shots against the Grizzlies. His role and minutes will likely be determined by how his body reacts to returning to play. “We are going to manage the minutes. I’m not overthinking it. I’m not putting anything in cement. I don’t have a timeline for anything,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We’re how many ever games into the season right now and we finally have our full roster. We’re just going to try to maximize these next 25 games as much as possible and we just want everybody just to pour into the team, pour into the role, don’t overthink things at this point.”
• In his third game with the team, Jevon Carter hit a massive three-pointer in double overtime for the Magic before a Jalen Green shot won it for the Suns. After the game, Paolo Banchero spoke on the new addition’s impact. “Just coming in here and taking advantage of his opportunity, just fitting in, playing both sides of the ball,” Banchero said, per Jason Beede of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link). “He hit a big shot, I wish we could have pulled the win out for him, because that was a huge shot.” While it was the offensive moment that drew attention, it’s his defense that has most impressed coach Jamahl Mosely, Beede writes. “As soon as he stepped on the court, it was pick-up full-court, talking in the huddles, getting guys in the right spots, stepping in with confidence to his shot,” Mosley said. “He’s about all the right things. He’s about winning. He’s about toughness. He fits exactly what we do here with the Magic, just being able to (play) hard-nose defense, creating your offense on the other end.”
• When the Magic took Noah Penda with the 32nd pick in the 2025 Draft, they likely didn’t expect him to become a crucial piece in year one, but amidst an injury-plagued season, he has become an important factor in keeping the team afloat, Spencer Davies writes for RG. Davies adds that Penda has kept the same mindset and effectiveness, whether coming in for a four-minute run off the bench or closing games as a starter. Penda’s rebounding has been a crucial part of his impact, with Davies noting that when the rookie goes to the bench, the team’s offensive rebounding rate drops by nine percent. Penda says that the entire team has helped him learn the ropes in his first year, but cites Tyus Jones, who was traded at the deadline, as a veteran who really took Penda under his wing when the 6’7″ forward wasn’t playing and helped him focus on what he needed to do to be ready when his number was called.