Projecting Austin Rivers' Development

((We are pleased to bring you a reader-written article. Thanks in advance for reading Nick’s article, and thanks to Nick for working so hard on it. — 42))

It’s always hard to know exactly how a player will develop once they reach the NBA. The development of their two first round draft picks from last year is a key factor in how the New Orleans Pelicans will fare in the coming 5 years at a minimum. Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers were both one-and-done players, however they have had dramatically different starts to their pro career. Davis seems to be everything that he was expected to be, while Rivers has only shown some flashes during his constant struggles.

Given some of the things being said about Rivers (Remember the “worst season in NBA history” piece?), fans were starting to get a bit restless with his development. But what kind of improvement should fans expect from Rivers in the short term? How much can we expect him to improve from this season to next? One way to answer these questions is to look at other guards who share some important qualities with Rivers and examine how they improved from their first NBA season to their second.

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awesome article! Was a very good read!

I was pretty surprised with the results.

Not with the article . . . I expected good work from Nick . . . with the incidental conclusion. I've been pretty "yeah, yeah, just be patient" with Rivers. This actually makes me think more highly of the progress he's made and his minutes with the first team. He may lead that group of players in minutes by season's end actually.

I think people keep forgetting how talented this kid is, and how important he is to the Pelicans future. He's shown improvement lately, and hopefully he continues his progress through the rest of the year. With his pedigree, and his work ethic, he can easily be our PG of the future. I just hope he hits the weight room, and gains about 10 lbs of muscle and improves his strength so he can finish at the rim better.

Oh yeah, GREAT READ, and much appreciation. :clap::2thumb2:

I just log-on to say "Good read." I'm halfway through and enjoying it.