NBA New Orleans Pelicans

Austin Rivers Facing Make-Or-Break Year With New Orleans Pelicans

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By @KellanMiller

Austin Rivers

Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Being the child prodigy of an esteemed sports legend always comes with high expectations. We inherently expect the offspring of former stars to be genetically imbued with the same (or better) athletic gifts as their paternal predecessors. Just ask the many sons of Rick Barry, or more recently, Tim Hardaway Jr.

The son of Doc Rivers, Austin Rivers was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the 10th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, thereby augmenting those expectations.

But to put it bluntly, Rivers has failed to make a lasting impression on the league, with many people regarding him as a bust as he approaches what amounts to a crucial make-or-break third season. Hailed as an NBA-ready power forward, Thomas Robinson was drafted fifth overall by the Sacramento Kings, and he is already an NBA journeyman. However, that doesn’t matter because Robinson’s father wasn’t a key factor in the imposing Dominique Wilkins-led Atlanta Hawks team of the 80s.

There’s just no other way to say it – Rivers stunk things up during his rookie campaign. While injuries did lead to decreased productivity and missed time, Rivers shot brick after brick while proving to be a woeful defender. Ironically, the elder Rivers was regarded as one of the best defenders in the league during his playing days. In his second season, Rivers saw his playing time decrease and his averages only slightly improved. Possibly the greatest sin of all is his career free throw percentage at 63 percent, which is absolutely horrendous for a guard.

Every year, we hear dozens of stories about players publicly betting on themselves to finally putting all the pieces together, and you can now add Rivers to that list. In an interview with John Reid, he stated, “I was constantly working the entire summer. I gained 10 pounds and I’ve got stronger in my upper body. This is my year.”

While NBA junkies expected absolute pandemonium this offseason, it was surprisingly tame, expect for that ol’ little thing that happened in Ohio. On the NBA rumor mill, Rivers’ name featured prominently, but the Pelicans decided to hold on to the third-year player, and they will be a better team because of it.

For all of his deficiencies, Rivers is one of the hardest working players I’ve watched in recent memory. Towards the end of last season, he started to show flashes of the player the Pelicans believed he would eventually blossom into. During his last five games, he averaged 14.8 PPG and 5.8 APG.

Fortunately for us fans, Rivers has spent the offseason ignoring the trade rumors and instead focusing on improving his game. He even enlisted the help of Rob McClanaghan, one of the most respected trainers in the league. Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Kevin Love, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook are just a few players who the Los Angeles-based trainer has worked with in the past. 

Rivers will fight for the role as Jrue Holiday‘s backup with newly acquired rookie Russ Smith, who proved to be a clutch performer in Summer League play. However, Smith will most likely need some practice before he adapts to the speed of the game, so Rivers looks like a favorite for the minutes battle. If Rivers can continue to put the pieces together in his third season, an already solid Pelicans squad will be terrifying to opposing teams, even in the wild wild West.

It’s never really a good idea to put too much stock into a player’s assessment of their own progress, but with widespread endorsements from those who matter (like coaches and trainers), it appears that Rivers understands the stakes, and he will make it as opposed to break it this season.

Kellan Miller is a Writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KellanMiller, on Facebook, or Google Plus.

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