Raptors NBA Draft Thread: Austin Rivers (NOH)

[Undefeated]

If he isn't a good 3-point shooter then what are Barnes (35.8%), Lamb (33.6%), and Beal (33.9%)? Aren't they all considered to be good/very good 3-point shooters? I share your other concerns though.

I was mainly looking at their shooting mechanics. Even in HS scouts questioned his form.

[deeps6x]

Rivers is super underrated on this board and in general by scouts

Considering he's been coached every step of the way by top coaches not to mention his dad is one of the best coaches in the NBA, there is no way this guy flops.

He's this draft's Steph Curry (8th pick). To pass on him over a guy like Lillard/Sullinger/Marshell would be a devastating error.

Only worry is that he's a tweener but he can become our 6th man and hopefully develop PG skills

Only guys I take over him w the 7th/8th pick is Barnes (unlikely he slides), or Lamb

With the 53rd pick in the draft, the Toronto Raptors select Austin Rivers!

[HolyMage110]

i wouldnt mind drafting rivers, with enough work, he can be a mold similar to westbrook and might be more mature.

[fatal9]

People who want Rivers...did you um, actually watch him play this season? This is an undersized iso-heavy guard with average athleticism, an inconsistent jumpshot who had major problems finishing in the lane against college bigs. On top of that he's a 66% FT shooter (this isn't a coincidence, in his last two years of highschool he shot combined 68% from the line). He has a funky release so he may have to alter his release significantly if he wants to really improve as a shooter. So inconsistent jumpshooter, problems finishing at rim and below average FT shooter...all that combines to tell us one thing, that he is going to have major problems with his efficiency in this league (even in college he was scoring at a mediocre 53.8 TS%).

Then there's the fact that he's a major ball stopper, is way too iso-oriented to get his points...which is fine when you are Kobe or LeBron or a big time scorer...but Rivers is not that and never will be because he is limited talent-wise. At times I was cringing watching Duke because you could just tell Rivers was killing the offense/ball movement, and everyone knew it, the coach, the players on the floor and people watching. He needs to become much more team oriented because he's simply not physically gifted enough to get away with that in the NBA. And lastly, his defense is dreadful. I don't know how much it can improve either because at times he just looked so limited physically (length/lateral quicks) defending other SGs. He is easily the worst defensive player in the lottery.

He has sick handles and nice ability to break down his man whether with his first step or with multiple dribbles but it's negated by the fact that he doesn't have the athleticism/size to finish at the rim and often gets tunnel vision so doesn't create plays for others either. He'll definitely get to the line though, and if he scores at even average efficiency in the league, it will be because of his ability to get to the line.

His ceiling is not high enough to justify picking him based on all these flaws. Evaluate prospects based on things that actually matter like talent/skills/work-ethic/ability to translate game to NBA, not stuff like interviews and likability. I like Rivers overall though because he's fun to watch, has great work ethic and has a confident arrogance to him which I generally like in players, but he was a big disappointment as a prospect to me this year.


Also Rivers has barely anything in common with Steph Curry as a player. I'm confused as to why I'm seeing their names being linked together in all these threads lately.

[DreamTeam09]

I'm giving the nod to rivers at 8. He did his thing rookie yr at Duke. Had some ups and downs just like ne freshman would. Tested better athletically than I thought and bigger than I thought.

P.S. HOW IS RIVERS UNDERSIZED IF HES 6'5 200LBS. What is he undersized for, SF?? Don't create BS to further your BS.

[dballislife]

i have right now,
rivers
lamb
lilard

[JPHolling]

It's funny how the chucker tag has stuck with Rivers. He ranked 126th in FGA. Harrison Barnes, considered a team player by comparison, took 120 more shots than Rivers, good for 9th.

And then there's Jeremy Lamb, who people say never got the ball because of Napier and Boatwright. Well, the man they say is overly passive took 50+ more shots than Rivers, good for 53rd in the NCAA. Lamb played more minutes than Rivers, so the numbers per minute are likely close, but the stigma sure isn't.

It gets really interesting when you look at Beal's numbers. Many people believe Beal could play some point, and is by no means a chucker, but his shot attempts are nearly identical to Rivers (Beal actually shot more 3's than perceived gunslinger Rivers) and their assist percentage is also nearly identical (Rivers had the slight edge here).

I'm not saying Rivers is a better prospect, or that stats are the be all and end all, but I do think that highlights of a guy jacking threes from 26 feet tend to give you a certain impression, and the numbers simply don't bear it out. How ball dominant can you be and not be in the top 400 in usage?

There are serious questions about Rivers but I think it's interesting how stats =/= stigma.

Who called Barnes a team player? Anyone who watched UNC play knew he chucked up shots like no other. The problem with Rivers is his terrible shot selection, not just how many shots he takes. It's not like Rivers waits for the right opportunity to take a shot, he'll go for a deep three whenever he feels like it. He'll have someone draped all over him and he'll still go for a deep two instead of passing it off to a teammate. If he were hitting the shots, then no one would complain but he missed a lot of them.

anyone who watched barnes knows hes faar from a chucker???
wtf are you talking about?

[Bankai]

i wouldnt mind drafting rivers, with enough work, he can be a mold similar to westbrook and might be more mature.

We already have a guy that fits into the Westbrook mold, his name is Bayless. But Bayless gets blasted for not being a proper PG like Calderon and is unfit to lead this team. I think if Westbrook was even traded to the Raptors for scraps, the fanbase would find a way to run him out of town. Their is this belief that PGs for us HAVE to be like Calderon, Nelson, Miller and not attacking PGs like Westbrook, Rose, Bayless, Jeremy Lin, Rubio etc. Their is holding the ball too long to attempt to make a textbook play, and then their is holding the ball too long because you are attacking the defense to create a play.

If we had say Bayless, Rivers and perhaps say Lamar Odom (point forward), I think our handling would be fine. but our scoring ability would be better, especially at the wings. WE had Turk but I think it didnt work, partly due to Calderon and Turk having a conflict of play styles and that we needed someone who wasent afraid to score playing along side him at the PG spot.

[revvolutions]

if the raps don't give your boy bay any burn, why would austins rivers get any?

[fredericklove]

I'm giving the nod to rivers at 8. He did his thing rookie yr at Duke. Had some ups and downs just like ne freshman would. Tested better athletically than I thought and bigger than I thought.

P.S. HOW IS RIVERS UNDERSIZED IF HES 6'5 200LBS. What is he undersized for, SF?? Don't create BS to further your BS.

Average shooting guard size but his other measurements are reported low, he has an unspectacular 6'7.25 wingspan and a standing reach reported at 8'0. Some of the 6'2 or 6'1 guards in this draft has at least 8'2 reach so for River that's relatively low. A lot of scouts said the same thing about him being undersized, and I'm sure they have legit reasons to say that.

[Crazy-Canuck]

if the raps don't give your boy bay any burn, why would austins rivers get any?

He would become BC's "guy". BC has shown a tendency to pamper his draft picks like Bargs, DD and Val.

[wanker]

http://www.bulletsforever.com/2012/6/15 ... ds-workout

Hard to watch...

[SwiftyV]

It's not really huge news that he doesn't have a mid range game, but neither does a large portion of the NBA. He still hit a good portion of his shots. Doesn't really bother me that much. He has a pretty darn good floater he can use if he drives to the lane and pulls up short to avoid contact.

[StMikes31]

http://www.bulletsforever.com/2012/6/15/3090270/video-austin-rivers-struggles-in-7-drill-at-wizards-workout

Hard to watch...

Homer comment: He basically shot 50%, that's really good in the NBA



Yea he looked sluggish in that drill, very tired, had no legs in his shot. It was at the end of the workout to Rivers' defence. It's so hard to watch workouts of these guys and think they'll be successful in the NBA. I wouldn't want BC's job lol.

[dballislife]

not surprising at all for a guy who only takes it strong inside or take the 3...biggest problem is how he scores inside with nba bigs, cus he has elite speed and first step off dribble and will get inside, but i think he struggles scoring till his prime

[fredericklove]

No wonder why he never takes midrange jumper at the elbow during the game. Well he didn't shoot well in Raps workout and now this in Wizards workout? But I can totally see him go 2 of 15 or 5 of 25 in some games in the NBA, and he's pretty much a streaky shooter anyways.

[N1QUE24]

^ We get it, you only want the Raptors to consider drafting Lamb. There's a thread solely made for him.

[SwiftyV]

He shot 54% in that video not counting the lay ups. That isn't terrible by any means. Not sure why he looks sluggish but perhaps the drill isn't designed to be going all out sprints the whole way. There isn't any worry about his conditioning as this guy is use to playing 30 minutes a night since high school.

[fredericklove]

^ We get it, you only want the Raptors to consider drafting Lamb. There's a thread solely made for him.

I actually like River's game since his high school days. I talk about his weaknesses but it doesn't mean I don't know or not like his strength, for examples I like his killer crossover dribble, wicked stutter-step in&out move and solid p&r ability.

[Undefeated]

Rivers looked tired in that clip. You can see him altering his form a bit towards the middle of the video, and starts to kick his right leg out a bit. It's a telling sign he was exhausted when he has to alter his shot mechanic. Understandable. But still it isn't that hard to hit 7 elbow jumpers in a row going sideline-to-sideline. Plus, he's pacing himself not like he's sprinting end to end... I've hit more than that before and I ain't a pro prospect lol.