Breaking Down Austin Rivers' Prospects as NBA Player

It looks like Austin Rivers' time at Duke will be short lived.

According to CBS.com's college basketball insider Jeff Goodman, Rivers will enter the 2012 NBA Draft after one season as a Blue Devil.

Goodman reports that Rivers will hire an agent as well, so there's no chance of him returning to Duke.

Rivers averaged 15.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists this past season in Durham and is projected to be a lottery pick in June's draft.

But is declaring early the right move?

Offensively he's a great scorer who's outstanding with the ball in his hands. He's a good shooter with a great first step and a nasty crossover that helps him create separation. He also has shown the ability to get to the free-throw line. As a coach's son, he has a tremendous basketball IQ to boot.

The bad news though is that he's not a great free-throw shooter and is a shot overall is streaky. He's not an elite athlete and is a bit undersized as a two guard and he especially struggles when the ball is not in his hands. Playing off the ball as well as utilizing teammates, are facets of Rivers' game that need to improve.

Another year of school can help all of that.

He's had his moments this season. The buzzer beater against North Carolina stands out. But while Rivers has been very good, he hasn't lived up to the ton of hype that preceded his arrival in Durham.

Overall, he's got a ton of talent and his pure scoring ability should translate nicely to the NBA game.