Real Cool Austin Rivers Highlight Reel

Kid's got game. I'm really excited about him moving forward.



And here's another good one:

Thanks for posting this, AR is my favorite Pelican. It's going to be great when he proves all his haters wrong:cool:

I can't wait till he gets his shot and left hand down. Tony Parker 2.0

I hope he can improve each season as Parker. He's not as quick but he's bigger and stronger. Shooting will be the key

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Originally Posted by Pelicans_fan_504

Thanks for posting this, AR is my favorite Pelican. It's going to be great when he proves all his haters wrong:cool:

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This! I can relate to him alot lol

I can't believe all the haters that don't see his potential. The dude can get to the rim AT WILL. He definitely has some things to work on but he could easily end up as our No. 2 behind Davis in 3-4 years. He has that much upside.

People are already ready to push him to the side or say he's nothing more than a bench player based off one season. I'm sorry I think that's selling him extremely short.

People truly need to learn the difference between "haters" and "doubters" two completely different things.

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Originally Posted by da ThRONe

People truly need to learn the difference between "haters" and "doubters" two completely different things.

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Seriously. I HATE the culture that sees the two things as one in the same. It's ridiculous.

I want Rivers to succeed. He's a Pelican. And I understand that he came out too early, too raw, and was pushed to start way too early with the Gordon injury. He defiantly improved later in the year.

It's gonna be very interesting to see his year 2 improvement no doubt.

I'll tell you one thing though, if anything in that video is legit it's at 3:00 when Rivers doesn't let the Chicago defense set, just LOSES his man with a wicked crossover then takes Noah, one of the best defenders in the league, right to the rack. Lots to build on.

I bought his Mardi Gras jersey a few months back. I think the kid has potential. He just needs to work on his shooting/free throws and develop his left hand. The muscle will come with time as it will with Davis. Excited to see this team grow. It keeps my butt in the seat.

He shot 49.5% including 42.9% from 3 (although it was only 14 shots) over his last 16 games. He was definitely getting better before injuring his wrist. Unfortunately for him though, he was beyond terrible leading up to that point. Once he adjusted to the speed of the game and was able to get into the lane without getting his shot blocked basically on every play, he finally started to get his confidence back.

He does need to work on his free throws though. 55% won't cut it.

He also needs to develop a mid range. He was using the damn floater from longer distances which looked real awkward. I don't get how he was that bad of a shooter coming into the league with his work ethic.

Rivers is the reason we don't pick Burke. I thought Rivers was doing well for what he was thrown into. I can't wait to see him next year and I think him and Davis together will be awesome on the pick and roll. Our version of Malone/Stockton.

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Originally Posted by tdcreator

Rivers is the reason we don't pick Burke. I thought Rivers was doing well for what he was thrown into. I can't wait to see him next year and I think him and Davis together will be awesome on the pick and roll. Our version of Malone/Stockton.

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Rivers and Burke are different players. Rivers will never be a true standardized point guard like a Stockton or Paul. They're natural passers with natural court vision. And I'm fine with that because Rivers was brought in as another option to creating shots. Probably better suited for a combo guard role, but he could surprise us all and be the scoring PG type.

30 minutes a game. And capable of being one of top 3 scorers on team any given night. Off the bench.

That's what I'd like to see from Austin next year.

Basically the same roll Jarrett Jack played with Warriors.

He is one of the reasons I don't think Dell is really looking at someone like Burke. For better or for worse, I don't think the Rivers-PG-of-the-future experiment is over yet.

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Originally Posted by Bigeauz

He is one of the reasons I don't think Dell is really looking at someone like Burke. For better or for worse, I don't think the Rivers-PG-of-the-future experiment is over yet.

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It doesn't need to be. If Burke is BPA when we draft it doesn't mean that Rivers can't still be tested at the point. Assets in basketball are never useless. If both are successful that's a good thing. Look what the Clippers have going with Paul and Bledsoe.

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Originally Posted by Pelicans78

He also needs to develop a mid range. He was using the damn floater from longer distances which looked real awkward. I don't get how he was that bad of a shooter coming into the league with his work ethic.

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Mechanics and bad coaching. Doc was never in his life as a coach because he wanted a father-son relationship. Sure, they talked about basketball all the time, but Doc never drilled Austin in the backyard. That's why he has some fundamental issues, particularly with shooting.

At the beginning of the season, Austin shot his floater off of 2 feet, and he twisted his torso a lot. Now, he shoots it off of 1 foot, and he is much more squared to the basket. Players don't change their shooting mechanics mid-season, but Rivers did, which is a testament to his coach-ability.

Moreover, if you look at 1:14 of the 1st video, you can see how poor his mechanics are. Elbow all the way out, horrible base, bad landing with the leg kicking out (and staying out). Then, you look at 2:27 on the same video, and his mechanics are drastically improved. Again, that's a mid-season change to his shooting mechanics, and that's just incredible to me. If anyone has ever tried to change their shot, it's quite a challenge because you have been doing one thing your whole life, and all of a sudden, you're trying to do another thing. Muscle memory doesn't allow you to do it. It takes time and repetition. That's just a testament to Austin's work ethic, that he put in the necessary reps mid-season to make the change.

And if you look at how quickly he picked up the team defense, the growth he showed throughout the year. He is such a mold-able kid, and I think that's going to turn him into a legit player in this league. A lot of people are expecting a 6th man, but I expect much more from him.

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Originally Posted by Mythrol

I can't believe all the haters that don't see his potential. The dude can get to the rim AT WILL. He definitely has some things to work on but he could easily end up as our No. 2 behind Davis in 3-4 years. He has that much upside.

People are already ready to push him to the side or say he's nothing more than a bench player based off one season. I'm sorry I think that's selling him extremely short.

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agree, he came into the nba as a true freshmen, people like harrison barnes or paul george didnt come out until sophmores, it takes time. he is gonna be awesome

Thanks for sharing. I like Austin too. His dad was a pretty good player too.

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Originally Posted by da ThRONe

People truly need to learn the difference between "haters" and "doubters" two completely different things.

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We are not talking about his doubters, there are people that hate Rivers because they think he is in the league because Doc is his dad. If you were in a topic about the Hornets on any NBA board it turned into a AR sucks thread or how he is the worst player in the NBA, that is hate.

I was gonna say the same thing Nolaslim. You can tell a noticeable difference in his shot mechanics from the video and that is very promising.

im pulling for dipo, but rivers and burke could definitely co-exist

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Originally Posted by ScoutWithoutClout

im pulling for dipo, but rivers and burke could definitely co-exist

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Could they really? Rivers has already come out and said he's going to play the point. It's the position he wants to be at. Burke can't play SG. If you wanted to get a guy with high upside that could play next to Rivers you'd want CJ McC. They'd be dangerous together and if Rivers defense keeps going like it was you could ask I'm to guy the better perimeter player.

This is all if we don't keep Gordon Ofcourse.

anyone who thinks we should pass on Burke because we have Austin Rivers is crazy, just saying

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Originally Posted by Pelicans_fan_504

We are not talking about his doubters, there are people that hate Rivers because they think he is in the league because Doc is his dad. If you were in a topic about the Hornets on any NBA board it turned into a AR sucks thread or how he is the worst player in the NBA, that is hate.

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It's not hate if it's true. I guess you can lump me in the hater bucket because I don't see him as anything but a journeyman. If they are building the future around Rivers then our future is bleak. If Vasquez or Aminu had the same exact season that Rivers had, all of Rivers' defenders would be here bashing them. Actually, they had better seasons and they are still bashing them. I know he's only 19. Well guess what? He should have stayed in college if he wasn't ready. He's a fan favorite so everyone chooses to ignore the bad and focus on the marginal improvements that he made. If the NBA was a 100 story building, Rivers started out in the basement and made it to the lobby. That's how marginal his improvement was. Furthermore, I've asked this time and time again. If he was was a Bobcat, how many of you would be saying that he will be a quality player in the future? The answer is none of you. You'd be just like the rest of the sports world pointing out how historically bad his rookie season was.

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Originally Posted by jgman

anyone who thinks we should pass on Burke because we have Austin Rivers is crazy, just saying

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cosign

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Originally Posted by UptownFuz504

It's not hate if it's true. I guess you can lump me in the hater bucket because I don't see him as anything but a journeyman. If they are building the future around Rivers then our future is bleak. If Vasquez or Aminu had the same exact season that Rivers had, all of Rivers' defenders would be here bashing them. Actually, they had better seasons and they are still bashing them. I know he's only 19. Well guess what? He should have stayed in college if he wasn't ready. He's a fan favorite so everyone chooses to ignore the bad and focus on the marginal improvements that he made. If the NBA was a 100 story building, Rivers started out in the basement and made it to the lobby. That's how marginal his improvement was. Furthermore, I've asked this time and time again. If he was was a Bobcat, how many of you would be saying that he will be a quality player in the future? The answer is none of you. You'd be just like the rest of the sports world pointing out how historically bad his rookie season was.

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I'll eat crow if Rivers plays like crap this year. But like I always say I'm not a person who jumps to conclusions so early....at least let the try to prove his self. His work ethic and passion will at least push him.

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Originally Posted by UptownFuz504

It's not hate if it's true. I guess you can lump me in the hater bucket because I don't see him as anything but a journeyman. If they are building the future around Rivers then our future is bleak. If Vasquez or Aminu had the same exact season that Rivers had, all of Rivers' defenders would be here bashing them. Actually, they had better seasons and they are still bashing them. I know he's only 19. Well guess what? He should have stayed in college if he wasn't ready. He's a fan favorite so everyone chooses to ignore the bad and focus on the marginal improvements that he made. If the NBA was a 100 story building, Rivers started out in the basement and made it to the lobby. That's how marginal his improvement was. Furthermore, I've asked this time and time again. If he was was a Bobcat, how many of you would be saying that he will be a quality player in the future? The answer is none of you. You'd be just like the rest of the sports world pointing out how historically bad his rookie season was.

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I'll eat crow if Rivers plays like crap this year. But like I always say I'm not a person who jumps to conclusions so early....at least let the try to prove his self. His work ethic and passion will at least push him.

Rivers shooting will improve and when it does, watch out, and a little more strength thru contact will get some AND 1s

rivers final 16 games, 49% from the field, 43% from 3. I say he gonna be fine.

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Originally Posted by UptownFuz504

It's not hate if it's true. I guess you can lump me in the hater bucket because I don't see him as anything but a journeyman. If they are building the future around Rivers then our future is bleak. If Vasquez or Aminu had the same exact season that Rivers had, all of Rivers' defenders would be here bashing them. Actually, they had better seasons and they are still bashing them. I know he's only 19. Well guess what? He should have stayed in college if he wasn't ready. He's a fan favorite so everyone chooses to ignore the bad and focus on the marginal improvements that he made. If the NBA was a 100 story building, Rivers started out in the basement and made it to the lobby. That's how marginal his improvement was. Furthermore, I've asked this time and time again. If he was was a Bobcat, how many of you would be saying that he will be a quality player in the future? The answer is none of you. You'd be just like the rest of the sports world pointing out how historically bad his rookie season was.

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You're judging a 19 year old rookie based on his first season? Even after Demps and Monty told you he would be a project? That's just not intelligent.

I don't expect Rivers to break out until his 3rd year. I think he needs at least 2-3 years to really become a consistent performer. Aminu was pretty bad his first two seasons and made big strides this past year.

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Originally Posted by nolaslim213

You're judging a 19 year old rookie based on his first season? Even after Demps and Monty told you he would be a project? That's just not intelligent.

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Isn't that exactly what you're doing? The level of hypocrisy with some people are insane.

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Originally Posted by da ThRONe

Isn't that exactly what you're doing? The level of hypocrisy with some people are insane.

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^^^I couldn't have said it better. I don't care that's he's only 19. Once you step on the court, you are a ball player. That's it. Those last few games do not represent the entire body of work. One more thing, can we all at least agree that Rivers shutting down Kobe is an overstatement of titanic proportions? I'm so tired of reading that. The Pels better draft a PG and if that motivates Rivers to step his game up good but I'm not ok entrusting the future of this team to him.

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Originally Posted by da ThRONe

Isn't that exactly what you're doing? The level of hypocrisy with some people are insane.

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As usual, your contrarian view is unfounded. I'm saying give the kid a chance because he is so young and has a lot of room to grow, while he is saying Rivers had a bad rookie year, so all he can ever be is a journeyman. I'm not playing this game with you though. You argue for the sake of arguing, and I'm not in the mood.

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Originally Posted by UptownFuz504

^^^I couldn't have said it better. I don't care that's he's only 19. Once you step on the court, you are a ball player. That's it. Those last few games do not represent the entire body of work. One more thing, can we all at least agree that Rivers shutting down Kobe is an overstatement of titanic proportions? I'm so tired of reading that. The Pels better draft a PG and if that motivates Rivers to step his game up good but I'm not ok entrusting the future of this team to him.

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There is absolutely no truth to this. There is a world of difference between a 19 year old rookie and a 23 year old rookie. And those last few games that "don't count," haha, that's all that matters man, and that's why you are missing the point. Rivers' goal wasn't to produce last year, it was to improve, which he did.

if he is gonna get better he needs to be baptized by fire, I say get what u can for GV and throw Rivers in as the starter, in 2 years he could be a stud.

what isn't intelligent is comparing a player who wasn't that great or efficient in any aspect of the game in college, in his short nba career, or in any real higher level of competition, to Tony Parker. Expecting him to be a 6th man, to be our clutch player down the stretch, our scoring punch starting or off the bench, or our floor general are expectations based on hope more than his actual potential. Where are all these expectations coming from? Comparing Austin Rivers to Tony Parker is insulting to Parker and unfair to Rivers because that is a ridiculous comparison. He has shown nothing at all, that highlight reel of him? 5-6 plays dispersed around hitting wide open threes or fast break layups, because he never showed the ability to hit a contested shot from anywhere on the floor consistently. People always spout out these stats from a short span of games where he did alright. He shot well during that stretch yea but only managed to get to double figures twice (11 and 10), with about a 2:1 assist to turnover ratio, also fouling more than he would assist or rebound as well, still getting over 20mins a game, that isn't that good where as people are talking as if he balled out for a couple weeks. I think people are literally blindly cheering and chanting for this guy.

I don't think he'll be terrible but I mean come on, he isn't good, and won't be for a year or two if he ever does get good

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Originally Posted by nolaslim213

As usual, your contrarian view is unfounded. I'm saying give the kid a chance because he is so young and has a lot of room to grow, while he is saying Rivers had a bad rookie year, so all he can ever be is a journeyman. I'm not playing this game with you though. You argue for the sake of arguing, and I'm not in the mood.

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Kid's got game. I'm really excited about him moving forward.

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This is your opinion one that I don't necessarily disagree with. However how is it fair for you to be able to come up with this opinion based off of his rookie season, but another person can't form their opinion on the same info available to you?

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Originally Posted by UptownFuz504

^^^I couldn't have said it better. I don't care that's he's only 19. Once you step on the court, you are a ball player. That's it. Those last few games do not represent the entire body of work. One more thing, can we all at least agree that Rivers shutting down Kobe is an overstatement of titanic proportions? I'm so tired of reading that. The Pels better draft a PG and if that motivates Rivers to step his game up good but I'm not ok entrusting the future of this team to him.

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Did you criticize Aminu for being awful his first two seasons? You praise him now, but what about his first two seasons?

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Originally Posted by HornetGuru

if he is gonna get better he needs to be baptized by fire, I say get what u can for GV and throw Rivers in as the starter, in 2 years he could be a stud.

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I thought he should have been baptized this year but oh well.

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Originally Posted by Pelicans78

Did you criticize Aminu for being awful his first two seasons? You praise him now, but what about his first two seasons?

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I don't necessarily praise Aminu but I do point out the hypocrisy that people always say that Aminu's jumper is forever broken but Rivers' is fixable. Aminu has better form and can shoot ft's. This is just one instance of Rivers' fans being hypocritical. To stay on point I do criticize Aminu and I believe my entire stance on Aminu has been get rid of him if its an upgrade. I just don't think that Buddinger, Evans, Chandler, etal are that much of an upgrade. To be quite honest, I'm pretty rough on all the Pelican players because I frankly believe that this team lacks talent. We have a bunch of good locker room guys that hustle. I want the dude that might be a ****** bag but he'll go out and get 25pts and 10 rebs. The Spurs and Grizzly have a bunch of good dudes in the locker room but at the end of the day, they have ballers. The Pels only have half of that equation.

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Originally Posted by da ThRONe

This is your opinion one that I don't necessarily disagree with. However how is it fair for you to be able to come up with this opinion based off of his rookie season, but another person can't form their opinion on the same info available to you?

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It's really an easy concept, and I've explained it multiple times, so this is the last because I know your M.O.

Demps and Monty both said Rivers would be a project when we drafted him. They told fans like you and UptownFuz to shut your mouths for a few years while he develops and to stop crying about how bad he would be at the beginning because it would take time to develop him. Still, you people are complaining relentlessly about how bad he did his rookie year, and how he didn't perform statistically, yet you continue to ignore the steps he took prior to his hand injury. It is what it is. You enjoy it, so go and have fun. Like I said, I'm not playing your game. I said what I have to say, and I'm standing by it.

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Originally Posted by da ThRONe

This is your opinion one that I don't necessarily disagree with. However how is it fair for you to be able to come up with this opinion based off of his rookie season, but another person can't form their opinion on the same info available to you?

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There are things he shown in his rookie season that lead him to believe that, things that wont just go away, as far as his negatives, i see them as easy fixes

Rivers playing PG next year is a upgrade over Vasquez. Vasquez just can't guard most starting PGs..They always blow past him. He is a very good backup tht can create off the bench and dominate backup point guards. Rivers will get better every year bc of his work ethic. Excited for the pels future! Should be exciting!

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Originally Posted by nolaslim213

It's really an easy concept, and I've explained it multiple times, so this is the last because I know your M.O.

Demps and Monty both said Rivers would be a project when we drafted him. They told fans like you and UptownFuz to shut your mouths for a few years while he develops and to stop crying about how bad he would be at the beginning because it would take time to develop him. Still, you people are complaining relentlessly about how bad he did his rookie year, and how he didn't perform statistically, yet you continue to ignore the steps he took prior to his hand injury. It is what it is. You enjoy it, so go and have fun. Like I said, I'm not playing your game. I said what I have to say, and I'm standing by it.

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Where have I said I don't like Rivers as a prospect? The point is you are bashing someone for doing the very samething you are doing.

It's a blog site you don't want somebody to call you out on your hypocrisy then don't be a hypocrite.

Vasquez is the perfect 6th or 7th man, great off the bench, let gordon and rivers play together, that is some scary stuff

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Originally Posted by Vinny6420

There are things he shown in his rookie season that lead him to believe that, things that wont just go away, as far as his negatives, i see them as easy fixes

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This is what's funny I haven't even given my opinion on Rivers yet comments are being made as if I have. I'm not as high on Rivers as some, but I think he can really help this team moving forward. I think he'll be best in the 6th man role where he can freelance without disrupting the starters.

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Originally Posted by da ThRONe

This is what's funny I haven't even given my opinion on Rivers yet comments are being made as if I have. I'm not as high on Rivers as some, but I think he can really help this team moving forward. I think he'll be best in the 6th man role where he can freelance without disrupting the starters.

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Which is why I want him to start next season, so he can develop quicker, honestly Vasquez isnt our future PG and obviously we arent competing next season, so you need to develop who you can, before its too late