Public Ivy Hoops Article 2 Rough Draft Austin Rivers
The son of a former NBA star inherits many great things:
natural talent and a comfortable upbringing to name a few. They also inherit an inordinate amount of
pressure to play at or exceed the level of their fathers. Austin Rivers is no
exception to this rule, as he is the son of the Boston Celtic’s head coach Doc
Rivers. Austin has been hailed as one of the best young talents in the game
since high school, where he dominated at Winter Park high school, became a
consensus top-5 college basketball prospect, and was crowned basketball royalty
when he chose to attend Duke University.
After his freshman year at Duke, where he averaged a pedestrian (with
respect to his high school hype) 15.5 PPG shooting 43.3% from the field and
36.5% from behind the arc, Austin has accrued many doubters of his NBA
potential. Many believe the scoring
prowess he flashed in high school will not translate to the pro level due to his
lack of elite athleticism and size. I however
believe Austin Rivers will indeed have a successful, borderline all star NBA
career due to his unique ability to attack the basket, his NBA shooting range,
and his mental toughness.
Proponents
of the notion that Austin lacks NBA athleticism believe that his lack of elite
speed or vertical leaping ability will hinder his ability to attack and, more
importantly, finish at the basket as he has done in high school and college. Like all rookies Austin will indeed need to
acclimate to NBA level defenders. Austin
however, has already displayed the tools necessary to successfully adapt and
continue flourishing around the rim. Rivers displays the potential to develop a
large array of floaters to finish over many of the giant centers in the NBA due
to his soft touch and expert use of the glass around the rim. His quickness
combined with his creativity handling the ball will allow him to successfully
get to the basket at will against NBA guards as he did in college and provide
plenty of footage for NBA Ankle Breakers annual video for years to come. Austin’s performance against Ohio State
provides contextual evidence of his driving ability translating to the next
level. Both of Ohio State’s starting
guards, William Buford and Aaron Craft, are NBA-level prospects. While Duke struggled to contain Jared
Sullinger in the post, Austin Rivers had his way with both guards attempting to
defend him. By embarrassing the OSU guards
with his crossover he
was able to create scoring opportunities by driving to the basket unhindered.
Every successful
undersized guard in the NBA has some exemplary trait that allows them to
overcome size disadvantages, and Austin is no different. Austin augments his quickness and ball
handling with three point accuracy that extends to NBA range, which he has had
since High School. While a bit streaky
Rivers is completely comfortable launching long range bombs. He is especially adept at shooting off the
dribble; normally this would be a problem since rookies are not given the
basketball enough to make use of this skill, but Austin has been projected as
the future point guard of the New Orleans Hornets which should guarantee him
enough time with the ball to utilize his talent. Although he has a tendency to swing his elbow
out when shooting, his release on his jump shot is quick and he is able to rise
up on a dime to unleash his jumper. His
jump shot consistently produces a high arc which, as
Dirk
Nowitzki and mathematics has proven, leads to a higher percentage of made
jumpshots.
The
trait that will affect Austin’s success in the NBA the most is his mental
toughness. River’s game winning three
point shot at North Carolina exemplifies Austin’s mean streak and ability to
rise with the pressure of a game. Austin
is a confident, highly competitive young man who has shown a willingness to put
hours into the gym to improve his game.
Many believe Austin to be arrogant: while this may be true, I believe his
work ethic gives him an acceptable reason to exude as much confidence as he
does. Every pro player in the NBA is
cocky by any objective standard. The
difference between the star and the 15th-man riding the bench is
their natural talent and work ethic. Austin grew up in the NBA environment and
has not only seen and learned what it takes to be successful in the league but has
already proven himself mature enough to take advantage of all of his
opportunities.
While
Austin Rivers has been slightly overhyped due to the combination of being the
son of Doc Rivers and playing for Duke University, Rivers has portrayed
exceptional talents. His mental makeup, scoring acumen, and a favorable
nurturing environment with the Hornets will help him become a successful NBA
player.
