Austin Rivers: Duke Guard Rewarded for Staking Reputation on Last-Second Shot

Austin Rivers took the most important shot of his life last night.

With approximately four seconds remaining in the game and down by two to his Duke Blue Devils fiercest rivals, the North Carolina Tar Heels, Rivers did the impossible.

He forced a defensive switch at the top of the three-point line to be matched up with Tyler Zeller, UNC’s tallest player. He then casually dribbled the ball before taking one step in, getting just enough lift on his jump and fired the game-winning three-pointer.

This shot was not only huge because it helped sink a higher-ranked team and hated enemy, but it also cemented Rivers’ status as a legitimate NBA prospect and someone who has the fortitude to step up on the biggest of stages.

Austin, the son of Boston Celtics’ coach Doc Rivers, came to Duke this season as one of the highest-rated prospects in his high school class. He hadn’t lived up to the hype as a game-changing shooting guard until last night.

Rivers is averaging 15.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, decent numbers but not the eye-popping figures expected from him when he committed.

However, he proved he’s ready for the big time and made huge strides last night.

In 39 minutes of play, Rivers dropped 29 points and went 9-of-16 from the field and 6-of-10 from downtown. He added five rebounds, two assists and a steal for good measure.

If Rivers can do this sort of damage against a team stacked with future NBA stars like North Carolina, he’s going to be just fine when he makes the jump to the pros.

And because he nailed the most important shot of his life, he’s certainly going to be one of the first prospects off the board in June’s NBA draft, should he declare.