The Pro Potential of Austin Rivers

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 15^th-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.