Rivers has a long way to go...

[GeauxPelicans]

Austin Rivers is on pace to rate 8.1 wins below replacement. -6.5 (Jason Collins, 2006-07) is the lowest mark on record.

From kpelton's twitter. Not sure who he is, but saw this while doing some fantasy bball research. I love Rivers' potential but he isn't ready for a significant role. Hopefully he turns it around once Davis and Gordon get back on the court and take some of the pressure off.

[WhoDatPelican]

It's been said on here and by Monty and Dell, 2 or 3 years. I've seen significant improvement from his first game. The kid will be a beast.
I'm thinking a poor man's Westbrook eventually. Good things in time. His work ethic / drive won't allow him to be a bust. I really believe that. I am sure the front office felt the same way when they drafted him.

[BP225]

This season the bar for Rivers is Progress, not Production.

[Eman5805]

You can't project based on advanced stats or any stat, really. You project based on what your eyes see. And my eyes see that Riversi s improving. To use this to justify not giving him more minutes is ridiculous. He's a rookie. The whole idea is for him to continue to get better and better.

[RyanM]

This year is a learning curve, as Monty has said - they are playing him minutes this year on the hope it will pay of in the future.

[RaisingTheBar]

I think too many people had too high of expectations for Rivers' rookie season. Can he play better? Absolutely. But those of us who watched him in college and saw the skills, knew that this was not an overnight process. By the end of this year Rivers will look like a totally different player, and in 1-2 years he will be a joy to have on the team.

This season the bar for Rivers is Progress, not Production.

Very well said.

[GeauxPelicans]

I haven't been able to watch many games this year, because the new channel isn't available here in PCola plus with my work schedule I am not available during game times. Basically just been watching box scores so I was just posting what I read. He must not have much confidence from the FT line right now because he's been terrible there. I think he has all the potential in the world and I hope he's ready come next year because we should be a full go by then if Davis and Gordon can stay healthy. I probably just had to high of expectations for him this year. I just hope Gordon comes back and plays soon so we can all get a read on this teams real potential.

[Imnos 2]

The good news is, he is getting better. From what I saw early in the season to now, there is some growth there.

[Nola Hornet]

At this point, you just want to look for week to week improvement. We all know he has had a terrible start but We also need to look at his progression rather than just stats to see where he is.

[AD23forMVP]

Atleast he's shooting 52% over his last three lol

[The JNR]

I think what I noticed last night is how he gets into rhythm. He's finding out where to place the ball on the backboard when he drives, and he's finding out it's okay to keep shooting. I think he's getting better every day, and I'm pretty excited about it after how poorly he started.

[BallSoHard]

Atleast he's shooting 52% over his last three lol

Shots or game ?

[GeauxPelicans]

I think what I noticed last night is how he gets into rhythm. He's finding out where to place the ball on the backboard when he drives, and he's finding out it's okay to keep shooting. I think he's getting better every day, and I'm pretty excited about it after how poorly he started.

This is VERY encouraging. Thanks

[Hard'n'DaPaint]

You can feel that he's working hard to make them shots fall! I like the fact he took a few jumpshots !

[Ceedee M]

His ball-handling was great tonight.

[rubicon]

You can tell the kid is imporving... I mean remember his first game in the summer league. I personally think he can be a poor man's James Harden. Maybe get near the James Harden comp. Its his rookie year and its only December. I'm very curious to see what he looks like in March.

[aas3452]

Im sticking to my prediction...The kid will be a stud once everything is said and done.

[Mr. Mojo]

ya boy AR25 at da Rouse's

[FlyGirl]

Get your ice cream last rookie!

[WhoDatPelican]

Get your ice cream last rookie!

hahaha yea i thought the same thing.

[Silverfoxx]

haha the cashier was looking scrumptious though

[The JNR]

"Do you guys...slice ham?"

[WhoDatPelican]

The OP is right. Rivers really does have a long way to go.
This kid is buying Ice Cream FIRST in the grocery store....?
I am thinking 2 or 3 years or maybe 2 or 3 times of ice cream melting all over the back of that car (which appeared to be a Ferrari SUV?).

[iNolaNightmare]

The OP is right. Rivers really does have a long way to go.
This kid is buying Ice Cream FIRST in the grocery store....?
I am thinking 2 or 3 years or maybe 2 or 3 times of ice cream melting all over that back of that car (which appeared to be a Ferrari SUV?).

Porsche Cayenne

[DefensiveMind]

I go back and forth on Rivers... I think with time though he will be okay. You can see that basketball IQ, at times. He's gotta trust his instincts more. When he thinks he's toast. He is a smart enough basketball player to trust his initial quick twitch diagnosis.

His form is broken on his shot. This is obvious by his poor percentage from the free throw line and how badly he misses from three when he does miss. His shot will be his best friend and companion to his ball handling skill since he is not going to turn into an imposing athlete anytime soon. Lastly, hes gotta hit the weight room. He has zero upper body strength, comparatively speaking.

All of this will take time though.