Raptors NBA Draft Thread: Austin Rivers (NOH)

[BD12]

Here's DeRozan doing the same drill:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPUWGrYeDJ4

DD >>> Rivers!!!

[Aidin]

Washington Post:
Near the end of a workout that lasted about 90 minutes, Rivers performed what’s called the “Seven Drill,” which requires a player to make seven shots. If he makes seven in a row, the drill ends, but each time he misses, another shot is added to the total shots remaining to complete the drill.
After several minutes of failing to complete the task, Rivers had nine shots left to make. Wittman cut the drill short, and Rivers finished hitting 14 of 25 field goals.
“I’ve done that drill before,” Rivers said, “so when I made that first one, I was like, ‘All right, I’m going to make seven in a row.’ Then once you get to nine, you start getting into trouble. ‘Oh Lord this isn’t good.’

[Aidin]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDAbfJkhgjI[/youtube]

[Man of Steel]

He's watching that Walk the Wire thing that's happening right now.

I'm speechless watching this guy walk across the wire! Absolutely crazy! God bless him #walkthewire

Sidenote: that dude has balls of steel.

[revvolutions]

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.

oy vey. watchin the okc show i'm already losing patience waiting for demar to come along.

[BD12]

Ten minutes had passed since Austin Rivers looked dejected after struggling with the "7 drill," a Wizards shooting workout favorite. The drill asks players to hit seven shots in a row, but for every miss, they must hit one additional shot before the drill can end. Twenty-five shots and four minutes later, coach Randy Wittman had to cut the drill short, telling Rivers that if he just hit six shots, he could stop. Rivers finally did.

And yet ... these were the first words out of Rivers' mouth.

"I think this was my best workout yet," he said. "I had a great workout shooting the ball."

That's Rivers in a nutshell there. Now, granted, he could have shot the ball very well in the sections of the workout that we didn't see. He also later admitted that last 7 drill was "really tough." But he clearly knew that we all saw him struggle with his shot in that drill. He had to know. And yet, the first words that came out of his mouth were about how well he did.

That's just Rivers, though. Always confident.

"Every time you step out on the floor, you should feel like you're the best one, whether it's true or not," Rivers said, explaining his mindset. "You should always feel like that, because that way, you play better, play with more confidence and give more confidence to your teammates."

It's also possible Rivers impressed in the other portions of the workout. He has a tendency to bring the ball down to his waist before he shoots, which adds an unnecessary hitch, especially against NBA athletes. That may explain his struggles shooting the ball late in the workout. But we also know he's very quick, and I know the workout included some one-on-one work. How Rivers fared in that, I don't know, but that type of thing plays more to his strengths.

I also was impressed with Rivers' demeanor during interviews. He's certainly confident, but he doesn't come across as arrogant. I also was impressed with his answer about the kind of role he expects to play in the NBA.

"I'm not just going to get the ball and go out there and dance," he said. "That's not how it works. There are too many great players in the NBA."

He'll have to walk the walk there if he's going to make it. It probably won't happen here, nor should it, because the Wizards don't need his skills. But on the right team, it absolutely could all come together for him.

More Wizards workout snippets

[Undefeated]

I wouldn’t look too much into that clip of Rivers’ workout with the Wizards because as the article above mentioned he worked out 90 minutes before he had to do the drill to end it off. The “7 drill” is basically a cardio drill similar to Ray Allen’s plus 1-minus 2 drill, so after 90 minutes of doing whatever he did, the energy isn’t going to be there to do a cardio shooting drill. However, I still don’t think Rivers is a good shooter because a so-called good shooter wouldn’t shoot a paltry 65.8% from the free-throw line.



There are just too many fundamental flaws in this picture. His shooting elbow is sticking outwards when it should be tucked in 90 degrees lying directly underneath the basketball. There's no air space leaving a gap between his palm and the basketball. The ball should be resting on his finger pads not his entire palm. I think that's why Rivers doesn't get a smooth rotation on his shot after his release because he's gripping too hard. And his off hand should sky upwards on the release. There's a reason why his shot is always flat; it either hits front iron or it swishes. He never gets that friendly bounce what shooters call a shooter's touch from a high arc. Watch his free-throw in real play.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI5M2aOIn4E[/youtube]

He drops that off-hand way too early when he should be holding it along with his follow thru. It's almost as if he's shooting with both hands.

But I guess he has a super quick release, so it balances things out...

[Test of Wills]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiIxEWokEWo&feature=fvwrel[/youtube]

He's going to be an explosive 2-guard. Good set of moves, he's only 19 as well and has a great knack for getting to the rim. As he fills out and gains more experience on the NBA floor he'll eventually learn to create and find the right reads to make plays.

[Peezy]

i have right now,
rivers
lamb
lilard

Same here .

[Peezy]

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.

Let me just say that i like Bayless as a player and think he could be a solid. But for starters Bayless is 6 Feet tall with very short arms. He is also 23 years old now and is loosing that "potential tag". I think where it all went wrong for Bayless was having to be on 3 teams. Portland really messed up his development IMO. With Rivers you get a 6 '5 ft 200 pound, 19 year old. The Raptors know what he is now and can now mold him into what he needs to be to become a better player.

Look at Derozan when he first entered the league. Its like some fans dont understand that these players are still kids . They cant just come in and be Lebron James it will take some time> It really would help though that his father is Doc Rivers.

Do you think Doc would let his son fail ?? Guaranteed they will be doing the best off season training. No expense spared.

[chimpston17]

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.

considering where he is shooting from and that they are wide open, it is pretty terrible

[team edward]

^I won't defend his poor performance in that drill - I think any NBA player should be able to hit wide open jumpers unless they are shaq. But:
1. I watched demar's clip too. They both appear to be absolutely gassed. Trying to perform a fine motor skill like that when your lungs are that blown is very difficult. That's why golfers don't sprint between holes. Not that an NBA 2 guard should not be able to hit jumpers when fatigued - just saying its probably a tougher drill than it appears.
2. It's clear he has some technique issues. Happily, our coaching staff has never shied from reconstructing shot technique when necessary. He's a decent shooter by the numbers even with his rotten form, so it's possible there is potential to improve.
3. I wish we got to see more things like this. Max vertical is great and all, but other an the first play of a shift no player is going to have fresh legs. What would matter more in my eyes would be max vertical after running a half mile or something...

[yayotube]

I prefer Lamb to Rivers, but he has grown on me a lot. Like others have said, his shot mechanics can be worked on. I normally could care less about family pedigree (just look at Mike Dunleavy), but the fact that Doc coaches the Celtics means Rivers practically grew up around/interacted with Allen-Pierce-Garnett, so he won't be a mentally fragile prospect and I give him a higher % of reaching his ceiling.

[Live Free]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrbrarSldxo&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

What I love about Rivers game is his strengths are great strengths that can translate into being the real deal at the next level. You can't teach a player to get anywhere he wants to on the court as effortless as Rivers makes it look.

Everyone needs to keep in mind that he is not a finished product, coming into the league he will grow as a player and his biggest weakness (his tunnel vision) can easily be fixed, and with proper coaching and grooming there is no reason Rivers can't be a star.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMM-nzNl_Xk&feature=related[/youtube]

[KRANG]

I prefer lamb at this point. although Rivers is growing on me, its not an easy decision. I just think personally Lamb has a slightly higher ceiling, not really based on any 1 thing.

[JPHolling]

I prefer lamb at this point. although Rivers is growing on me, its not an easy decision. I just think personally Lamb has a slightly higher ceiling, not really based on any 1 thing.

Lamb has the higher ceiling, Rivers is more realistic to reach his ceiling.
Rivers is my pick, i think he is a lock to be atleast jason terry with a brain. With an upside of a taller Monta Ellis with a brain. which i think is an extremely good player.
Austin Rivers:
Skillz, Hardwork, and Confidence.

I love it.

[ATLTimekeeper]

I'm starting to buy into this kid. I still prefer Lamb, but Austin has the attributes of a successful scorer. He hits threes and gets to the line. His form sucks, but the ball still goes in. I'm willing to bet he'll tweak his form over time and gain efficiency, and he'll always shoot it with confidence. Shooting mechanics are a lot easier to develop than handles and a first step. That he chose Duke is pretty revealing to me. He chose to be coached. And maybe I also believe in RSCI rankings.

[N1QUE24]

Austin is the pick.

[DreamTeam09]

I'm with Rivers as the pick. Biggest star potential out of the ppl likely left at #8.

[bboyskinnylegs]

Could he possibly make the transition to PG in the league? I know his assist numbers have been low, but he was also played at SG and really had very little offensive talent around him.