[TallmanNYCParticipant]

So the concern about Rivers coming into the season was that he couldn’t score efficiently because he couldn’t shoot and he had never shown any other skills other than dribbling and setting up his own shot. Well the season went by and Rivers was really bad because when he tried to score, he missed a lot, and he didn’t really do anything else (things like steals were way below what you’d expect for a SG). He tried to limit the damage while on the court by not taking too many shots, but eventually he had to be taken out of the game and then there were injuries to deal with.

So question for his fans. Do you still believe? If you were GM of the Hornets and someone offered you a second round pick for Austin, would you take it? It gets two years of guaranteed contract off your books and it gives you a shot to get lucky with a new young guy. Or do you role with Austin for another year?

And seriously what is up with the FT%? 55% from a SG? Have any of you out there ever played ball with a shooting guard who shot free throws that bad? Centers and PFs sometimes shoot that bad. I get it. But a guard?!? I mean besides Austin has there ever been a guard in modern NBA who shot their FTs that bad?

[FastAndFuriousParticipant]

Yep I still believe, he has the talent to succeed he’s only 20!

But sometimes I do see him ending up like Jerryd Bayless.

[SiggyParticipant]

How talented is he?
Quick, but not fast. Doesn’t have great size for the 2. Doesn’t have a great build. Doesn’t have good length. Is not explosive off the floor. Questionable basketball instincts at best. Low IQ.
Physically and mentally, where is the talent?

[kingofbumsParticipant]

yeah but bayless was actually very good coming right out the gates but the mcmillan just never gave him a chance. i rmbr games where he had to put bayless out there and he would end up in double digits very easily. i still believe to this day that their coaching staff efffed it up with bayless. the kid destroyed the summer league avgin 30 a game and they bench him for the entire season basically.

[Lotto StudParticipant]

I believe in Austin all the way, he is a high reward player. I don’t think he is a guy you give up on too quick, especially for a second rounder that seems a bit ridiculous. He showed flashes here and there with his shooting, after he was on a long slump.

I can honestly say right now he’s not the player I thought he would be coming in, but I can bet with a good offseason workout he will come back stronger and more determined.

[HaleParticipant]

I never believed so nothing has changed.

[TurnipParticipant]

Rondo shot 55 or 56% on FT’s one year.

[TallmanNYCParticipant]

Great call on that. I looked it up and he did shoot 57% one season. For his career he is 62%. It still strikes me as odd, but at least we know a guy can shoot that badly and still be a top player. I’ve just never played with a guard who couldn’t shoot FTs. But then I’ve rarely played with 6′ 5″ guards either.

[SiggyParticipant]

No, but then again I never believed in him.

His form is awful. You wanna why his release is so inconsistent? Its because he shoots with 2 hands. Just look at how much left thumb he gets on the ball. Next time you go to the park or gym, see how your touch is, especailly from mid-range, trying to shoot with 2 hands. He also has a lot of moving parts in his motion especially when he shoots off the dribble, with different leg kicks. His handle is fine, but there’s something about it that irks me…well outside of his weak off hand. He handles the ball like he’s practicing moves instead of letting the defense dictate counters. Its like his moves are predetermined.

While he can get to spots on the floor with the dribble I don’t think he’ll ever be an above average finisher at the rim. Using the left just seems so unnatural to him, he’s not a bouncy athlete and when he does try to take off its off of 2 feet, allowing the defense to recover. He has a thin build as well, so he doesn’t play well through contact. So basically he’s a slasher with poor playmaking instincts who can’t finish. That’s a not a good combination to have.

Improving his shooting is a given, but he might have to rebuild his form if he wants to be an average shooter at least. Outside of that, the area he needs to improve the most is the mid-range/floater game. I think he’ll always struggle finishing in traffic because of his lack of explosiveness off the ground and inability to play through contact, so his best bet to maximize his slashing style is to master the floater game.

[Sewok15Participant]

I totally agree and never believed in him my self. He disrupted Dukes entire offense last year and without him this year Plumlee, Kelly and Curry all had great years. He wants to be a scorer but isn’t a good shooter or a good finisher. New Orleans toyed with the idea of playing him as a PG to use his slashing abilities to set up others but he isn’t a natural playmaker either. I would expect him to hang on for a while in the NBA because of his name but not his game.

[B-ball fanParticipant]

I never believed and am not surprised by his struggles. He is an iso scorer specialist who is not even that good in isos, as he is right hand dominant and is a mediocre finisher at the rim. Plus, not many players his size can succeed with his style of play. And he isn’t good off the ball, but doesn’t pass well enough to be a primary ball handler.

[BasketballJunkie224Participant]

i dont believe so no. im not saying he sucks but i mean ever since hs when he was ranked so high i didnt know how that happened. there are just too many good players(esp gaurds) coming into the league who are way better than him

[Meditated StatesParticipant]

He was banged up. He started to turn the corner and got hurt. He needs to get stronger so he can take contact. I like what I saw off the dribble but not finishing. Must improve his J % and that will be the key to his game. 2000 jumpers a day and Austin will be fine. I still believe. He will be a good player and good scorer. He is young.

[benjo34]

When i look this last draft…Hornets could draft gujs like Harkless he’s killin in Magic last couple of games,also Jeremy Lamb,Lamb can score while Rivers can’t do anything. He is a real proof why we shouldn’t judge players by hoopmixtape and ball is life mixes,he looked like he’s going to be a beast.

[akhan786Participant]

I’ve always believed he’d at least be a solid rotational player. Unfortunate that as soon as he put a decent month together he ended up breaking his hand.

If he’ll be anything more than that…the potential is there but I doubt it.

[theballerwayParticipant]

it cant really get much worse, I still have faith that he can be decent atleast a 6man spark plug type scorer. I think the shooting has to get better obviously but as mentioned he needs to be able to finish better. Vertically I think he can get up he just jump so slowly and is weak.

Some weight room time, shooting drills and gametape should be his summer

I feel better days are to come.

[r377Participant]

I remember all the high school hype on this forum saying his was the next Monta Ellis.

I have never ranked him that high, I still think he will be a 6th or 7th man coming off the bench. I believe he will get better, I just hope his dad sits down with him during the off season and work on areas of his game that he needs to

[RafterParticipant]

I never believed in him either, there’s something about him that screams poser or wannabe. It’s like he tries too hard to be like a basketball player, it’s almost like he’s a spoiled kid who’s trying to act “cool”.

His stats are awful and it makes me wonder if he’d be on an NBA roster if it wasn’t for his second name and draft position.

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

I’m sorry, but no… I don’t believe in Austin Rivers. I like him, but I just am not a believer in his game.

He’s on the right team and with the right coach though. As long as Monty Williams is there, Austin Rivers will play.

[Malik-UniversalParticipant]

to be honest…. i still believe… just like i still believe brandon knight can be a starting two guard for detroit one day… ill give both guys one more yr

[topotamolderParticipant]

I believe in him, future 15 ppg player. Mark my words, sig it or write it in your forehead if you want.

[IknoBall12Participant]

Y’all are giving up on him too quickly. So he’s had a rough start. Give him time and let him work out things and adjust. Lets not forget who his father is. Do you really think doc isn’t taking he time to pick apart his sons game and show him what he can do better this offseason? He’s gonna be alright

[BigMac12111Participant]

I don’t/didn’t believe in him since I watched his HS games live and never understood the hype. I do think that he can get better though. Think the best path for him would be JJ Redick: great 6th man, solid starter but I doubt he actually gets there.

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

I’ve always said he’s going to be a Jamal Crawford type of player. Once he gets his offensive game, he’ll be a streaky scorer off the bench. Nothing more, nothing less.

[TallmanNYCParticipant]

Well I’m pretty sure the franchise gives him a solid shot next year. And yes, one can assume his shooting will get better since this is an area where players often improve. He just has so far to go to become even decent. But he has a three year guaranteed contract, a famous last name, and connection to a top school. He will certainly get all three years to pull this together, though if he doesn’t improve a lot next year he might get traded.

[JoeWolf1]

In his last 16 games before he went out he was shooting over 45% from 2 and 45% from 3 point range. He was not NBA ready at all, but I’m not ready to give up on him yet. I never thought he’d be a star or anything like that, but the backup point guard is often being replaced by a combo with some PG skills or a shoot first PG and I think that is where Rivers will land.

I think he could be a 10 ppg backup guard and play a similar role as C.J. Watson, Nate Robinson, Jerryd Bayless, Jordan Crawford or Beno Udrih. He looked awful at times this year, but he’s 20 and looks like he can’t grow a mustache. I don’t think he’s distined for anything great, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he hit his stride in a couple years dropping 8 or 9 ppg off the bench for a playoff team or 12 for a crappy team.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

There is no arguing that Austin Rivers was awful to start the season, but bad starts aren’t uncommon. New Orleans made the decision to be young and bad this year by ditching Jack, Okafor, Ariza, Landry, and Belinelli. They aren’t going to give up on a young player they invested highly in after one bad half season when they planned the season to be bad. He started to play better before getting hurt, and frankly missed out on the part of the season where young players get healthy (the months of March and April) because there weren’t many races that mattered, veterans have been either eyeing the start of the playoffs or for the season to end, and teams have stopped playing defense.

[TallmanNYCParticipant]

Interesting point. I guess you are right that a lot of young players pad their seasons stats a bit in the last few weeks as defenses slowly shut down or other teams go into tank mode. There were some insane stats by young players put up in Bucks Magic game a few nights ago. Henson had 25 rebounds for the Bucks and Vucevic had 30 and 20 for the Magic.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

It is more pronounced this year because of the lack of races, but it is not atypical. It is no different from September callups in baseball or a team trying the young quarterback in football after being eliminated.

[Author]

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