It might be because he’s getting too much national attention, or because I despise the Boston Celtics. It could be because he wears a shooting sleeve on his arm, or because of the hatred I have for all small combo guards. Whatever it is, I think I’m the only one who doesn’t like Austin Rivers’ game.
Now don’t get me wrong, I think Rivers is a good player with tons of potential, and his numbers speak for themselves. He’s decisively quick and can break a full-court press with his speed alone. When he gets out in transition, he shows flashes of John Wall, and as a freshman, he’s shooting close to 45 percent from the field and 45 percent from beyond the arc, which is terrific to say the least.
So what’s not to like about Austin Rivers?
Rivers’ game is based on his speed and quickness. He takes his opponents off the dribble to get to the basket. However, when larger and lengthier guards—like Temple’s Juan Fernandez—are on him, he gets bullied out on the perimeter. His first step will get him to the basket most of the time, but it’s his decision-making from there that’s troublesome.
He has a shoot-first mentality, which is a blessing and a curse. When Rivers is on, he provides Duke with some much-needed instant offense. But when he’s not, he tends to drive the ball into the heart of the opponents’ defense, making poor decisions, while his teammates are usually open inside for a dump-off or outside for a kick-out. Time after time against Temple, Rivers would drive past the first defender, get within 15 feet of the hoop and throw up a floater that had little-to-no chance of going in while the Plumlee brothers and Seth Curry stood and waited for the ball to come off of the rim.
Rivers goes through stretches during games where he develops a bad case of tunnel vision. His 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame isn’t strong enough or developed enough to get to the rack with bigger defenders draping all over him. In order for him to get to the next level, he needs to find his bailout – either a kick-out or a dump-off. Until then, he will continue to be a one-dimensional player that drives to the basket with reckless abandonment.
Far too often does Rivers drive the ball into the paint with a planned shot in mind. He rarely adapts to the situation or shifts his game to what the defense is giving him. Although the stat sheet only had two turnovers given to him against Temple, I counted at least four or five more if bad shots were taken into consideration. I respect the fact that Rivers is only a freshman, but he needs to start understanding the flow of the game.
Too many kids nowadays watch the NBA and try to take over a game like Kobe Bryant – chucking up fadeaway jumpers with their tongues out while keeping their follow-throughs up for far too long. The game is played differently at the collegiate level. Come March, the best player on each team must realize mismatches and make the opponents pay. Rivers should have realized midway through the ballgame that he needed to distribute the ball from the inside out, giving the Plumlee brothers most of the touches, sucking the defense in, and therefore freeing up the perimeter players for the Blue Devils. After all, the Plumlee brothers were dominating Temple with 33 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks. For Austin Rivers to take the next step, he needs to recognize these mismatches and expose his opponents of their weaknesses.
Doc’s son reminds me a lot of Devin Harris for his speed, quickness, ability to get in the paint, proficient outside shooting. Like Harris, Rivers isn’t a great on-ball defender because of his lack of size, but he compensates by shooting the passing lanes to get easy transition baskets. Harris, however, was a much better passer and much more explosive when he got to the rim. Despite these differences, Harris’ freshman year numbers are remarkably similar to Rivers’ stats thus far.
Rivers has promise to become a fantastic player at the collegiate and pro levels. For him to reach his maximum potential, he needs to grow as a player, much like the way Devin Harris did during his three-year stint at Wisconsin. At this point in time, it seems that Rivers is going to be one-and-done because he has a high probability to become a lottery pick in the 2012 NBA draft. But leaving college early could be detrimental to his development because Rivers is the type of player who could really blossom at the collegiate level, especially playing under Coach K. His body will only continue to develop along with his decision-making, which would make him a top-five pick in the future. If he does choose to stay in school, Rivers will have higher chance of success in his transition to the NBA.
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