Timberwolves

What Can Austin Rivers Offer At This Stage Of His Career?

Photo Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

After generating the greatest high-school highlight reel of all time, Austin Rivers went on to have an interesting career. From randomly dropping his career-high 41 in the bubble to playing for his father, Doc Rivers, and then having his dad trade him away. It’s safe to say Rivers has experienced the league in a way that very few others have.

But now, the journeyman who spent time in Los Angeles, New Orleans, Houston, Denver, New York, and Washington has signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. After agreeing to a one-year minimum deal, it seems Rivers will mostly be a bench player.

Rivers is a part of Minnesota’s mission to reload after spending a lot of ammo on the Rudy Gobert trade. Alongside new signings Kyle Anderson and Bryn Forbes, the Wolves have done a nice job replacing what was lost. Anderson replaces Jarred Vanderbilt, who can guard multiple positions. Forbes replaces some of Malik Beasley‘s shooting. Rivers? He’ll replace some of Patrick Beverley‘s veteran leadership.

Rivers made a great first impression after he fired off a legendary tweet following his signing.

But his fit on the court is still in question. Although he’s an end-of-the-bench player, everyone on the roster fits on the team in some way. Rivers’ role is not clear at first, but it will jump out at you after doing research and watching him play.

Rivers spent the early part of his career as a primary ball-handler. However, he has shifted dramatically in the latter parts of his career. Rivers has turned into a spot-up shooter. If you watch five minutes of any of his Nuggets games from last season, you’ll notice Rivers in a low-movement role.

He’ll often be sitting in the corner or on the wing, letting the play develop and being a release valve for the ball-handler. But he’s not someone defenders fear from behind the arc. He shoots just below the league-average (35%).

Rivers has made his career being an above-average perimeter defender. He was a solid perimeter defender for most of his career. But watching him last season, it seemed like he had lost a step. Although he was still an average defender, Rivers wasn’t the same as in his prime years. Rivers will be 30 next year, so some regression is expected. But it’s extremely important for the Wolves because of their lack of guard defenders.

How will it translate to the court?

First, Rivers will likely be at the end of the bench. While it’s not the most exciting answer, it is a sign of the changing times in Minnesota. Three years ago, Rivers likely would have started on the Wolves – if he agreed to sign with them in the first place. But now Chris Finch will use a player who played 22 minutes a night on a playoff team in a limited role.

But even the last guys on the bench get their run. So what can we expect when Rivers does play? Rivers often spotted up in Denver. But if Finch uses a spot-up shooter, he will likely turn to Forbes, who’s 41% from the corner in his career.

It’s likely Rivers will have a completely different role in Minnesota. While he isn’t suited to be a primary ball-handler anymore, he may still have some success as a secondary ball-handler. That would allow Rivers to cut and have actions run for him. If all else fails, he could set up his own offense. Rivers is best without the ball in his hand on offense. He converts on an impressive 38% on catch-and-shoots, compared to 19% on his pull-up jumpers.

Rivers won’t change much on the defensive end. He was mainly one of Denver’s primary wing-stoppers last year. He would likely serve a similar role, an on-ball beast to throw at one of the opposing teams’ lower-end offensive players. Rivers could serve as a point-of-attack defender when Anthony Edwards is off the floor. Backup shooting guard Jaylen Nowell isn’t a good enough defender to be reliable as a POA. If he is struggling, Chris Finch could look to alleviate some of those problems with Rivers.

Rivers played a lot of minutes on a playoff team last year, so it’s hard to imagine him not playing on the Wolves. But the Nuggets were almost forced to play Rivers 20 minutes a night. With the injuries to Jamal Murray, Markus Howard, and PJ Dozier, Denver needed Rivers to step up. But D’Angelo Russell, Edwards, Nowell, and Jordan McLaughlin are all better options on the Wolves.

Unfortunately, not all of Minnesota’s moves will be as exciting as trading for Rudy Gobert. But filling out the roster is still important. The Wolves got off to a good start by signing Anderson and Forbes, and they continued that trend with Austin Rivers.

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