Austin Rivers: The Top 2 Landing Spots for Former Duke Standout
Every few years, a superior freshman talent comes out of the college ranks who is underestimated and undervalued by front offices and pundits alike.
Austin Rivers is one of those players.
Doc Rivers' boy is one of the best shooting guard prospects in the draft. His confidence, range and knowledge of the game will make him a star in the league someay.
We know about his skills, but we don't know which NBA uniform he will be donning when the 2012-2013 season rolls around.
Now we're going to list the top two spots for the former Duke standout.
Eric Gordon hasn't yet decided if he will test the waters of free agency this summer, but if he does, New Orleans would be the perfect place for Rivers to begin his career.
The Hornets aren't a good team, but they certainly aren't as miserable as the team drafting No. 1 overall should be. If Gordon leaves, Rivers would be a perfect fill in at the shooting guard position. He would give New Orleans a solid pick-and-roll/pick-and-pop guy with Anthony Davis.
Rivers can shoot from anywhere in the arena, he can create shots on his own and he can drive the lane and finish creatively. He's an adept ball-handler, meaning he can play the point guard position to run the pick-and-roll. The combination of Rivers and Davis would make for one of the quickest pick-and-roll duos in the league.
The pick-and-pop would be even more formidable. The pick is the best move in basketball and any play that stems from it is extremely hard to stop.
Teams would have such a hard time guarding both Rivers and Davis on the floor. If you don't switch perfectly, Davis is open on the roll. Even if you switch, Rivers is going to have a small window of opportunity for an open shot.
Don't even get me started on the off-ball screens that Davis could set for his 2 guard. The Hornets' offense could literally be Rivers running up and down the baseline while Davis sets screens on his man.
Sounds pretty fun right?
Odds are, Steve Nash will want to get out of Phoenix this summer, but that hasn't been decided yet.
If Nash is on the outs, Rivers would be a perfect pick for the Suns. If Nash is in, Rivers would be a perfect pick for the Suns.
We'll start with Nash out first. The Suns scored a lot without Rivers, and even if Nash departs for greener pastures, they're still going to score in Alvin Gentry's offense. Rivers can run the point too, meaning he'd be playing more of a combo-guard role in Gentry's scheme.
Rivers would get exactly what he needs out of Gentry's system, where every shooter has a green light whenever they please. He certainly deserves the liberty to shoot, and is one of the best shooting prospects in this draft.
In case you didn't notice, they employ a bit of a run-and-gun in Phoenix. Rivers can run the break too. He's especially capable of driving the lane, a skill that is complemented by his ability to sink the tear-drop floater over taller defenders because of his 6'5" frame.
It would be Rivers at the point, Shannon Brown/Michael Redd combo at the 2, Jared Dudley and Hakim Warrick splitting time at the 3, Channing Frye at power forward and Marcin Gortat, one of the most underrated big men in the league, at the 5.
Grant Hill, fellow Duke alum and Mike Krzyzewski prodigy, would be the perfect mentor for Rivers right out of college.
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