Offensive Templates for Austin Rivers

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Any way you slice it, Austin Rivers’ rookie season has gotten off to a disappointing start. While many elements of his statistical profile seem perfectly reasonable for a rookie – 9.8 points per 36 minutes, 36.0% on three-pointers, 3.4 assists per 36 minutes, a turnover percentage of just 13.7% – one enormous shortcoming has been regularly on display. One of the NCAA’s top individual scorers last season has not been able to put the ball in the basket – he’s currently shooting just 34.6% on two-pointers. Rivers is shooting just 34.9% overall, which would be the second-lowest FG% posted by a rookie over the past decade.

While every rookie struggles, at some level, to transfer their skills to the NBA; Rivers’ problems are surprising. He is not an overwhelming athlete but many of the strengths of his game – footwork, skill-level, ball handling, basketball IQ, confidence – are the things that allow a rookie to make an immediate impact. Unfortunately, Rivers is applying those strengths unevenly, leading directly to his inconsistent performance.

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http://hoopchalk.com/2012/12/28/offe...austin-rivers/

Those are some lofty templates. He really needs to excel at one thing an build on it. I was really counting on his changing of speeds and pull up jumper to be more advanced. He's got time though.

Loved the write up. Very well thought out and the observations are spot on.

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If there is an opportunity to stop on a dime and go straight up, a jumpshot would probably be more accurate.

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Wow. That is the simplest way to get this across. Annoyed I hadn't figured it out yet.

Ugh. Can't edit posts or send edits into the Go Advanced thing for some reason. What a pain.

Also, the Rondo example and the Harden example shouldn't be mixed in with the others. Harden is a bull that can finish through contact and Rondo, as the guy said, is a pathological passer. It is written into his DNA. Rivers should pass, but looking for passing lanes when he's not really wired like that when attacking shouldn't be the way to go. Cuz often Rondo makes passes that don't look open to anyone but him. Hate admitting it, but Rondo is insane with the ball in that regard.

Fantastic article.

If I were Rivers I would try my hardest to fix that form of his before anything else. He's really ineffective on pull up jumpers and it kills him at the line. Working on that and his floater are really essential. If he can start finishing at the second line of defense given his 3pt shooting, he could be a solid scorer off the bench.

Also getting stronger with time is going to do wonders for Rivers. He cannot take contact very well right now. That will improve once he gets stronger.

Rivers' shooting action makes it a bit hard for him to shoot pullup jumpshots, he hasn't got the compact, simple, action that elite guys have on that play. That's why he shoots that fling at the rim floater. He needs to control that and make it reliable. Because that is the shot no-one can block and the way he arches it means you can barely even make him alter the shot. It'll be a tough one to master but if he can get that floater right, his free throws over 75% and keep shooting 35%+ on open 3's he'll have a place in the league.

Rivers gets to the basket whenever he wants tonight he hit an insane spin move to get to the rim but missed, he will get stronger and the layups will start to drop give him time he is 20

He is simply to young to be getting the minutes he was getting early on. His shots were not falling cause he is simply thinking too much cause he is way over his head right now. When he gets this offseason to hit the gym hard to develop his game as well as his body. He has too good a work ethic to not get better IMO. Once the game slows down for him, he starts having fun on the court, and stops pressing; he will become the player that his potential showed for him to be the #10 pick.

He has only taken 9 or more shots in 9 games this season, has only taken a 3 more than twice in 6 games, and has only more than 2 TOs in 6 games. Not all that bad for a rookie. It seems that once he misses a shot or two, he just completely stops shooting. When you take a shot and praying that it goes in, instead of just shooting it unconsciously you are gonna miss way more than you make. It happens to the best players when they have no confidence in their shot!

He has ZERO confidence right now, coach has ZERO confidence in him as well for good reason, and it will come with time IMO. I still have faith in the kid and think he will turn into a pretty darn good NBA player.