Raptors NBA Draft Thread: Austin Rivers (NOH)

Post #201 » by **theSkinny** » Sun Jun 17, 2012 4:14 pm

bboyskinnylegs wrote: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.

He is a combo guard, although I wouldn't want to rely on him as a PG for too much time for the next few years..In spot duty he should be alright.

fredericklove · Post #202 » by **fredericklove** » Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:30 pm

bboyskinnylegs wrote: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.

He should stay away from pg as far as possible. Play making isn't his strength. He will forever remain as a 2 because he has to. What else can he do besides scoring right? Scoring is his strength.

JPHolling · Post #203 » by **JPHolling** » Sun Jun 17, 2012 8:06 pm

fredericklove wrote:
bboyskinnylegs wrote: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.

He should stay away from pg as far as possible. Play making isn't his strength. He will forever remain as a 2 because he has to. What else can he do besides scoring right? Scoring is his strength.

he can dribble drive and score.
If hes a point guard for our team, expect an Allen Iverson style. Which i think he could manage.

If Nash signs with the Raptors....
I would like Rivers to possibly become the pg after nash leaves. Rivers seems like a player willing to learn and Nash might be able to teach him how to distribute a little better.

team edward · Post #204 » by **team edward** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 2:56 am

I like Rivers, but he clearly has a lot of work to do. If we take him, I think the clincher will be the perceptio that AR will commit to doing the necessary work to improve his game, moreso than Lamb or the other available players.

RaptorReloaded · Post #205 » by **RaptorReloaded** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 4:23 am

As long as we don't trade the pick and draft him or Lamb I'm happy. Not so much Lillard. He's from the same highschool class as DD.. just now trying to get in the league. He's good but not what I want for going through this **** season.

DatHomieYouHaTe · Post #206 » by **DatHomieYouHaTe** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 5:42 am

fredericklove wrote:
bboyskinnylegs wrote: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.

He should stay away from pg as far as possible. Play making isn't his strength. He will forever remain as a 2 because he has to. What else can he do besides scoring right? Scoring is his strength.

Same thing goes for Russell westbrook or rose(obviously he isn't as talented as these guys).. Scoring point guards can work I guess.

Sent from my SGH-I727R

Live Free · Post #207 » by **Live Free** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 6:03 am

fredericklove wrote:
bboyskinnylegs wrote: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.

He should stay away from pg as far as possible. Play making isn't his strength. He will forever remain as a 2 because he has to. What else can he do besides scoring right? Scoring is his strength.

?? you're working your way into Mufasa territory with your d-riding. At least his basis although mostly absurd is credible. Rivers biggest strength is indeed scoring but it's because of his elite first step and breakdown ability. he opens **** up, period... if that means stay far away from pg as possible then you shouldn't be a head coach.

Landomar · Post #208 » by **Landomar** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 12:23 pm

Out of all the players projected to go in the top 15-20 this season, Rivers needs to improve the most to become a good NBA player. He seems smart and is young, but if he doesn't develop A LOT, then he's going to be awful at the next level.

1. His current play is really quite bad. He had a 16.8 PER this last season (his freshman year), and that was pretty much worse than every player currently projected to go in the first round by draft express (Marquis Teague is the only exception). Barnes and Lamb both played better than Rivers did in their respective freshman seasons, and are both better right now, despite being more "raw" and "toolsy" in certain aspects. Waiters was a non-factor as a freshman, but just had a great sophmore season (26.1 PER, which is #1 for top prospect wing players in this draft). This helps inspire confidence that Waiters is developing well, and with Rivers, it's still a "who knows?" type situation.

So, if we look at projection, there are two big concerns I see with Rivers:
2. Rivers is a shooter with bad shooting mechanics; his shot is flat, and he only managed to shoot 65.8% from the free throw line, which is a bad sign.
3. He looks skinny and doesn't seem very strong. It's unclear how well he's going to finish at the rim in traffic at the NBA level. This is important, as a main strength of Rivers is his ability to dribble well enough to weave his way in towards the basket and actually get there. Defensively, strength could also be a concern on switches and with attempting to rebound (Rivers currently has shown PG level rebounding aptitude).

Imagine a slightly bigger Bayless, only one who still finishes poorly at the rim, doesn't shoot well from outside (think of Bayless in one of his cold stretches), and is kind of stuck between PG and SG. Do you want to draft that at #8? There's a significant chance that I've just described who Rivers is going to be at the next level.

On the plus side, he has good length, decent mobility, and plays smart out there. I wouldn't consider drafting him anywhere near #8 though. Waiters, Barnes, and Lamb would all be smarter picks, and I'm not even a huge fan of any of those guys.

xprt · Post #209 » by **xprt** » Mon Jun 18, 2012 1:26 pm

JPHolling wrote:
fredericklove wrote:
bboyskinnylegs wrote: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.

He should stay away from pg as far as possible. Play making isn't his strength. He will forever remain as a 2 because he has to. What else can he do besides scoring right? Scoring is his strength.

he can dribble drive and score.
If hes a point guard for our team, expect an Allen Iverson style. Which i think he could manage.

If Nash signs with the Raptors....
I would like Rivers to possibly become the pg after nash leaves. Rivers seems like a player willing to learn and Nash might be able to teach him how to distribute a little better.

Yes 2apg in 33minutes is what this team really need from pg... I dont see how taking him would solve anything. At best he becomes good offensive sg with below average D ( see Demar). At worst he will be Bayless with even worser passing abillity. I dont see how taking player who dublicates with others on team will solve anything... Atleast with Lamb you get guy who has upside at both ends and though everyone talks how Rivers can get to the rim he isnt great and finishing it Lamb on other hand has amazing floater which will transfer to higher level.

Aidin · Post #210 » by **Aidin** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 1:57 am

Austin Rivers vs Bradley Beal head to head in a high school game!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2hNZiFvr2c[/youtube]

SwiftyV · Post #211 » by **SwiftyV** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 2:13 am

AAU game, not high school.

JPHolling · Post #212 » by **JPHolling** » Tue Jun 19, 2012 2:21 am

[/quote]
Yes 2apg in 33minutes is what this team really need from pg... I dont see how taking him would solve anything. At best he becomes good offensive sg with below average D ( see Demar). At worst he will be Bayless with even worser passing abillity. I dont see how taking player who dublicates with others on team will solve anything... Atleast with Lamb you get guy who has upside at both ends and though everyone talks how Rivers can get to the rim he isnt great and finishing it Lamb on other hand has amazing floater which will transfer to higher level.[/quote]
His Job was not to get assits at DUKE. The fact of the matter is, he has amazing handles, and great blow by ability.
And the fact that you think he will have below average Defense tells me you dont know what your talking about. Many scouts feel he will be a very good defender. This kid takes pride in what he does, is going to work hard and reach his potential. he is nothing like demar...soo to put it nicely,
GFTO with ur nonsense.

Live Free · Post #213 » by **Live Free** » Sat Jun 23, 2012 9:16 pm

pretty dope:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bFUZZboZYs[/youtube]

torsport · Post #214 » by **torsport** » Sat Jun 23, 2012 11:58 pm

I've gotten really high on Rivers after his combine measurements. He's just as tall as Lamb and has a wingspan of 6'7 making him a legit 2 guard. He's also broader than Lamb and outweighs him by almost 20 lbs.

I didn't see him as a PG and if he came in at 6'2 like most of us expected then I'd stay away but he has the size of a 2, the handles of a 1, great shooting range and the confidence that all stars need.

I think he could turn out to be very special.

fredericklove · Post #215 » by **fredericklove** » Sun Jun 24, 2012 1:52 am

torsport wrote:I've gotten really high on Rivers after his combine measurements. He's just as tall as Lamb and has a wingspan of 6'7 making him a legit 2 guard. He's also broader than Lamb and outweighs him by almost 20 lbs.

I didn't see him as a PG and if he came in at 6'2 like most of us expected then I'd stay away but he has the size of a 2, the handles of a 1, great shooting range and the confidence that all stars need.

I think he could turn out to be very special.

Surprised that he's 6''5 and wingspan is so so but I'm definitely not impressed w/ his standing reach, which is one of the lowest in the combine, even guys that are 6'2 or 6'1 has better standing reach than him

, he has the handle but not the handles that a true PG has, one that can't see the floor well when he breaks down the defender, reminded me of Bayless attacking mode.

Rivers broader but he's not going to use his strength well at the next level, but Lamb can hold his own using his outstanding length. I got to give him credit for having the personality that you need in a franchise guy but...he has as much flaws as anyone in this lottery and needs to improve on alot of things in his game. At the end of the day, I know he's going to be a dynamic scorer on any team.

JamesNaismith · Post #216 » by **JamesNaismith** » Sun Jun 24, 2012 2:06 am

I don't hate Rivers the way I once did and won't completely lose my mind like I once thought I would if we drafted him BUT I'm still not a fan of how iso-heavy he is with bad court vision, he has average athleticism and for someone labelled as a "shooter" he's really not that great of one.

Crazy-Canuck · Post #217 » by **Crazy-Canuck** » Sun Jun 24, 2012 5:38 am

He doesnt need crazy athleticism to do well in this league. The kid gets some unreal separation which I think will carry over to the next level.

I wouldnt be totally upset if we drafted him, but if there is a combo guard in this draft that I wouldnt mind trying to convert to pg; it is this kid.

JPHolling · Post #218 » by **JPHolling** » Sun Jun 24, 2012 7:07 pm

JamesNaismith wrote:I don't hate Rivers the way I once did and won't completely lose my mind like I once thought I would if we drafted him BUT I'm still not a fan of how iso-heavy he is with bad court vision, he has average athleticism and for someone labelled as a "shooter" he's really not that great of one.

i think hes labelled more as a scorer than shooter.
But he shoots just as well (if not better) as the other "reggie millers" and "Ray Allens" in this draft from deep

HolyMage110 · Post #219 » by **HolyMage110** » Sun Jun 24, 2012 8:01 pm

had the best interview by far.

RaptorReloaded · Post #220 » by **RaptorReloaded** » Sun Jun 24, 2012 8:13 pm

We need a guy who can be a go to scorer.. Who can do that on our team? Andrea needs to be set up to score. Same with Derozan and the majority of our players. Rivers could be that player that we can give the ball and let him take over. I don't see that in Lamb.

If still on the Board by our pick what are the chanches we draft him?