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.