Los Angeles Clippers: Austin Rivers Proving His Worth
Austin Rivers became a punchline when his father brought him to the Los Angeles Clippers. His play in the last year and a half has proven that he has earned a place in the league, regardless of his last name.
Austin Rivers struggled mightily in his first few years in the NBA. The New Orleans Pelicans took Rivers with the 10th overall pick in the 2012 draft after one season at Duke.
Coincidentally enough, the pick used to select Rivers originally belonged to the Clippers and was sent to New Orleans in the Chris Paul trade. Instead of being Anthony Davis‘ running mate of the future, Rivers disappointed in New Orleans and did not even finish out his rookie contract there.
He shot 37.2 percent from the floor and 54.6 percent from the free throw line in his rookie season.
Although his shooting improved over the course of the next year and a half in New Orleans, Rivers started only seven games during that stretch. That was a far cry from his 26 starts during his rookie year.
New Orleans traded Rivers to the Celtics on Jan. 12, 2015, and three days later he was moved to the Clippers. His play did improve during his first year and a half in L.A., but his efficiency issues still plagued him.
Rivers became a fan favorite after a gutsy performance while playing through injury in the series loss to the Portland Trail Blazers last spring. He has carried that performance into this season, which has been by far his best as a pro.
His ability to play efficient basketball without Chris Paul has been a huge factor in keeping the Clippers afloat.
The Starting Bump
Prior to Dec. 26, Austin Rivers started only three games in the 2016-17 season. After a loss to the Lakers on Christmas Day, however, Rivers entered the starting lineup. He has not come off the bench since then.
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He has only missed one game since Dec. 26 and his play in the starting lineup has been eye-opening.
Rivers is averaging 12.2 points and 3.0 assists per game on 44.1 percent shooting from the field and 39.9 percent from deep. All of those numbers are career highs. However, he has been far better as a starter than as a bench player.
In his 26 starts, Rivers is averaging 16.2 points and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 46 percent from the floor and 42.2 percent beyond the arc.
Much of the improvement in Rivers’ stats as a starter can be attributed to how often he has the ball in his hands. His Usage Rate as a starter is 21.4 percent–a decent jump from his 18.5 percent usage off the bench.
Rivers is a far better on-ball player despite his improved three-point shooting. Without Chris Paul in the lineup, Rivers has many more opportunities to handle the ball. While that occasionally leads to over-dribbling, it can also lead to plays like this:
Rivers suffers from an issue that also occasionally plagues Blake Griffin: lack of ball-handling opportunities. There are not that many opportunities to handle the ball with a first-ballot Hall of Fame point guard on the team.
Austin’s upside is fundamentally limited on the Clippers because of those limited chances to play with the ball in his hands. After all, only one player can run the offense at any given time. Paul and Griffin are simply better at it than Austin.
Keep Him or Trade Him?
The trade rumors surrounding a Carmelo Anthony move to Los Angeles have centered around Austin Rivers as the key piece for the New York Knicks. New York is reportedly a big believer in Rivers, who would be a better value than Derrick Rose going forward.
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Rivers is still just 24 and is having by far the best year of his career. While the Clippers would be foolish to not move on from Rivers to get Anthony, the fact that the Knicks see him as a trade centerpiece is telling for his value around the league.
Nonetheless, the Clippers should be wary about moving on from Rivers. Austin’s improved three-point shot will help him to carve out a role next to Paul. He has started a few games with Paul, mostly in some interesting lineups with Rivers at small forward.
Additionally, both Paul and J.J. Redick can enter free agency this offseason. Rivers has shown that he can start at either guard position or even at small forward. His contract will pay him $24 million over the next two years.
That is solid value for his production, especially in the new salary cap environment. If either Paul or Redick leaves Los Angeles in free agency, Rivers is next in line for a starting job.
Austin Rivers has come a long way from his early career issues in New Orleans. His performance as a starter both with and without Chris Paul proves that Rivers has a place in the NBA.
With questions surrounding which Clippers stars may leave in free agency, Austin might be more valuable than ever before.
