[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

I know it’s early… It’s been three games. There’s an adjustment period for all normal freshman. But what are y’alls opinions on him so far?

I have to be honest… I wasn’t too impressed with him today.

 

 

[Wavy BagelsParticipant]

I didn’t get to see him play tonight (Thanks Time Warner Cable) but I did see him in the previous 2. He looks to drive and when he can’t get the defender from in front of him, he’ll throw up an unadvised shot. He does have a good knack of drawing fouls and getting to the line, and his defense is a work in progress like all rookies. Overall, I think he’ll fare out fine his rookie season. He can score, Possesses confidence in himself and gives the Blue Devils some identity.

[joecheck88Participant]

 I watched him tonight and although he struggles he looked good. I haven’t seen guys get into the lane as easy has he does. He got stripped 1000 times tonight. But he is a freshman and will get stronger and make the adjustment. I also like that he doesn’t force jump shots. I don’t know if he will be nba ready after this year but he has that athleticism. He will be good for duke as the year goes on.

[HaleParticipant]

 I hate his body language. He’ll score fine eventually, but he gets upset really easily.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

@joecheck88

That’s the thing… I didn’t see the athleticism. He struggled finishing around the rim tonight. I didn’t see the body control. He’s a good, not great athlete. He has good, not GREAT physical tools. He really does remind me of OJ Mayo somewhat, but not as physically mature.

He has a QUICK crossover, but he doesn’t really cover a lot of ground. It’s like he takes small steps or something. He dribbles in a box. And I don’t like that he thinks he has to dribble before he shoots. He has to learn to catch and shoot.

I don’t know… It’s early, but right now I’m not too impressed with his game at all. He has work to do, so it’ll be interesting seeing him go along this season.

[mamadouParticipant]

I didn’t see him so far.

Is he a slightly taller jerryd V2.0 ?

[OMARtheLEGENDParticipant]

All i Have to say is how about Myck Kabongo 18,7,9!!!!!!!!

[Malik-UniversalParticipant]

he’ll get stronger overtime, and it was jay williams saying on a college bball preview show that people expect these top rated players to come in and dominate right away…

and he made another great point saying for a lot of these true freshmen, its the first time there being challenged on the bball court, this isnt highschool anymore and u can score 40 and take a few bad shots

anyhow…

i think the media hyped him up way to much

i see him as a two yr player

but he will get his points eventually, its only the first two games of the season

did we forget what we labeled harrison barnes last yr??

[PrecociousNeophyteParticipant]

 I saw him play in their first game and in tonights game. Whenever he gets the ball it looks like he just trys to go one on one and not play team basketball. He got stripped on a lot of those drives and ended up turning the ball over. His drives to the basket will get better over time, and I think they will end up benefiting Duke because he will make it or get fouled and they really have no one else that is going to drive to the basket like he does. That being said I still feel like he needs to play more team basketball while also incorporating his drive to the basket.

[WizardofOzParticipant]

Overrated and over-hyped. He’s like a more selfish, less talented OJ Mayo. His dad let him develop his own game and really didnt pass along any traits other than genes and his right hand dominance. He has potential as a scorer, but he passes as a last resort and doesnt play defense.

And his shooting form is awful. Half the time he’s off balance and his release point changes. If you look at his shot frame by frame, you’d also notice that it’s a bit of a 2 handed shot. Just watch how much left thumb he uses on the ball. His form alone is what will prevent him from ever becoming a pure shooter and that’s without factoring in his shot selection. He did make 2 3’s in his first game, but one was pure luck off the glass from about 25 feet.

[bdiddy5115Participant]

What’s with the Mayo hate? You guys don’t have to bring him up everytime you’re dissing a player.

Rivers needs some maturity, but that was obvious if you watched him HS. He has a fantastic breakdown ability off the dribble, but he made the mistake of not protecting the ball when driving today [multiple times], which led to TOs. He needs to learn how to score without dominating the ball, as well as keeping his cool when things aren’t going his way.

Today was a learning experience. Most freshman have a few duds like he had today early in the year. It’s still far too early to say one way or another how he’ll translate.

[The8thDeadlySinParticipant]

 I think his game will translate to the NBA better than it has college ball.  He has a nice ability to create for himself and like someone said, he needs strength..   One day, if he will stay at Duke until he is a Junior, he could lead the nation in scoring..  His biggest mistake would be leaving too early.  His best bet would be to trust Coach K 100%.. 

[joecheck88Participant]

He only really got all the way to the rim once. He went up strong and got fouled by Adrean Payne who is a very athletic bigman. He will be fine. His athleticism to me is very good. And Indiana said he is very quick. I do agree with that he should learn to catch and shoot. I think if he can knock down open jumpers it will open up his lanes more. Like a pumpfake and drive to the rim. Like I said before he has trouble finishing at the rim but he is a freshman and I think he will learn to finish against bigger and stronger guys. Also a left hand would be nice for him as well.

Point is, I think he will be a very good prospect in college. It looks like he should be a 2 or 3 year prospect for the NBA but he has NBA athleticsm(not elite but very good). Of course he has things he needs to improve but the raw material is there in my opinion. Someone said he was overhyped and I can agree with that but like I said, the ability is there he just has to grow.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

@bdiddy5115

I wasn’t necesarily hating on Mayo… I just think Mayo looked like a better athlete on the high school level than on the NCAA and NBA level. Mayo struggles finishing around the rim. I’ve always thought Mayo had a "superstar" mentality and game, but didn’t really have the physical tools to be one. I really thought he should’ve learned how to play more of a team game at an early stage in his career.

I look at Austin Rivers the same way, except he’s not as physically mature as Mayo nor as good. I don’t see a point guard or shooting guard when I look at Rivers… I see a scorer who’s just better when the ball is in his hands.

 

[simonkildayParticipant]

My take on Austin Rivers is that he was overhyped coming out of high school, but not way overhyped.  He will end up being a scorer off the bench in the NBA, or a gunner on a bad team.  I agree with what someone said earlier that he is a two year player.

He does possess great dribble moves and a lightning first step.  His jump shot is streaky, and his form is not perfect, but ultimately i don’t think it’s going to hinder him in the long run.  His one glaring weakness right now is that he cannot finish at all going to his left hand.  He has a great right to left crossover, but always tries to come back right to finish the play.  If he could learn to do that it would go a long way towards making him an even more effective scorer  I know he has trouble playing in Duke’s system, but this guy has been an isolation player his whole life, has always been given the ball at his discretion, so if he doesn’t run the system right in his first 3 games, cut him some slack.  He will get there.  People always seem to be this way or that way when it comes to Austin Rivers.

[sameolGParticipant]

I think we’re judging Austin a little quickly. Just because he’s not killing out the gates like Kyrie did last year doesn’t mean he’s not capable of a big year. Let Coach K coach this kid up a little bit before we start critiquing his game so tough.

[hiphopismylifeParticipant]

I agree i’ve been less than impressed as well. It’s clear watching him try to make plays that he’s just struggling with the speed and size at the college level, as well as the need to be more efficient. Several times he got all the way to the rim yesterday, and just didn’t finish.

In high school there is almost no pressure because you know the ball will come back to you next time, so you play more freely. This is especially true in Rivers’ case because he went to a pretty ordinary high school, not a power prep school stocked with d1 guys. He was THE man.

He’s improved physically but I really think he has regressed from his earlier high school years in terms of decision making and poise. He reminded me of Steph Curry when he was a soph, then when he got more athletic he was all about clear outs breaking his man down every play. 1 on 1 he’s still a monster, but he needs to adjust to playing off other guys and being less enthralled with scoring.

[hiphopismylifeParticipant]

If they added a 2 year limit it would do him plenty of good. He seems like a guy who might be rushing to be a 1 and done because other guys have and the level of hype he came in with. He has incredible tools and a year of knowing what to expect and getting stronger and smarter could really help him, both for his college and NBA career 

 

[Im Your FatherParticipant]

Rivers definitely played poorly last night, but he played pretty well in the first 2 games. Against Belmont and Presbyterian he did a very good job playing within himself and not forcing the issue. He has also showed off a few nice left hand finishes, which obviously needs to be a point of emphasis for him. He has even flashed some nice court vision and shown a willingness to make an extra pass.

I’m not saying that he doesn’t have his issues, he certainly does, but I think many of you are viewing his performance thus far through the lens of your preconceived biases. He certainly isn’t there yet, but Rivers has shown some extraordinary improvements from this summer, and last night was by far his worst game he’s played as a Blue Devil. 

 

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

We’ll see how all of these people will change their minds by season’s end. 

Remember, this thread WILL be brought back some day.

[Chilbert arenasParticipant]

My opinion hasn’t changed, I never thought he was a one and done and if he’s smart he’ll stay at least two or three years.  He’s got a lot to work on physically and mentally.  He’ll have flashes of brilliance but will have a roller coaster ride of a freshman year.  

[OrangeJuiceJonesParticipant]

 He has a very quick first step, but, as mentioned before, he struggles to finish around the rim. While his finishing ability will probably improve with strength, he could definitely stand to improve his left hand. After watching many tapes of game footage, as well as last night’s game vs. Michigan State, he heavily favors his right hand when finishing. He seems to drive left just fine, so I’m sure that he’ll improve his off-hand finishing ability in the near futute.

[joecheck88Participant]

 Heavily favors his right is being generous. I’ve never seen him even try to finish with his left. Lol. 

[r377Participant]

Where are the ppl who posted 5-6 months ago he would be a top 3 draft pick and future nba all star ??

[Author]

Posts