Boston Globe: Austin Rivers at peace with how his career has turned out

https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/...-turned-out/k077XJOVxNpNUKuWQds7NN/story.html

GARY WASHBURN | SUNDAY BASKETBALL NOTES
Austin Rivers at peace with how his career has turned out


Austin Rivers is averaging 10 points for the Rockets, mostly in a reserve role.
By Gary WashburnGLOBE STAFF
MARCH 9, 2019
Austin Rivers didn’t plan for his NBA career to turn out this way. Four teams in seven years, waived by the Suns, looking for work not even a year after the Clippers traded him to the Wizards in what was supposed to be a fresh start.

But there he is, in the Rockets’ locker room after signing a contract to provide scoring punch for an oft-injured roster, trying to make the best of what has been a bumpy ride.

Doc Rivers’s middle son was supposed to be an NBA star. He was a high school phenom in Orlando, then moved on to Duke to play for famed coach Mike Krzyzewski, before leaving after one year to enter the NBA Draft.

Austin Rivers’s career has been series of flashes of approaching his potential, followed by slumps, injuries, and being cast as an offense-only player. Rivers came to Los Angeles to play for his father, and it worked out decently, but then he was shipped to Washington for Marcin Gortat, as the Clippers wanted to add a big man.

Rivers was never a fit with the Wizards and was then dealt to the Suns, who never had any intention of using him. Rivers was waived and then signed by the title-seeking Rockets, for whom in 32 games he is averaging 10 points, mostly as a reserve.

He feels comfortable, but he knows that feeling is fleeting in the NBA.

“It’s been a whirlwind to be honest. It’s been the toughest year of my career, to be completely honest,” Austin said. “I haven’t been used to change. I was in New Orleans for a couple of years and then I really adjusted to LA, and then you get traded to D.C., it’s not that big of a change, and then you get traded [to Memphis] and the trade doesn’t go through, and then you get traded, then waived, and then you come here. It’s a lot to deal with, physically, mentally, for my family.

“Where I was lucky where some guys aren’t is you get to land on a good team, in a good situation. The way I played, I knew I wasn’t worried at all about when I got waived. I’m happy I made the right choice.”

Rivers said he wanted to stay in Phoenix because of the perception that could result from being waived. He didn’t want to be a free agent during the season, a discarded former lottery pick looking for work.

“It looks bad because I’m sitting here thinking about my ego and my career,” he said. “This is my seventh year in the league. I need to be on a playoff team. I want to be on one of those teams. When [the trade] happened, I questioned what are we doing, and it was a lot mentally. Those four days I was waived, it was like two years. I’m watching people play basketball and I’m sitting here at home, like what the hell is going on?

“When Houston called, I was like, ‘I think this could be a great fit.’ I knew it was going to work, but I didn’t know it was going to be this [good].”

Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni asks his players to shoot when open, try to play defense, and give the ball to James Harden when he wants it. Easy.

“It’s been such an amazing fit,” Rivers said. “I’m very thankful.”

Rivers said he is at peace with his career not turning out the way he planned. He was thinking All-Star Games, scoring titles, and stardom. Instead, he has been with five organizations and played on four teams in seven years. Rivers is averaging 9.3 points for his career, including 15.1 last season with the Clippers.

“You just try to maximize who you are. I’m not caught in up trying to be better than the guys I [was drafted] with,” he said. “I’m trying to be the best me I can be. So whatever that is, that is, and I’m OK with that. I was the 10th pick, people were thinking could be an All-Star, but I turned out to be a pretty damn good pro. I’ve been here seven years. I’m a solid [expletive] player. On any team I’ve played for, I’m going to play good minutes.

“Am I an All-Star? No. Doesn’t mean I can’t be in the future. You never know. There’s been guys like Kyle Lowry, guys who been in the league for six or seven years and they go somewhere and it clicks. No one thought D’Angelo Russell was going to be who he was this year, and then he goes to Brooklyn and turns into an All-Star.

“I’ll never count myself out, but in terms of accepting who you are, I’m fine with that. I love where I’m at. I was 19 years old. I thought I knew everything and things don’t work, which is the first time in my life it didn’t work. Even at Duke it was easy for me, I was better than everybody. I come here, and I didn’t play well.

“I had to stop trying to point the finger and take ownership and figure it out myself. Once I did that, I did a complete 180 and every year I continue to build. I’m OK where I am at.”

Rivers said fatherhood has changed him. He and his fiancée, Brittany Hotard, had a son, Kayden, in August.

“I think [becoming a parent] changes us all,” Doc Rivers said. “It matures. I definitely think it’s helped him, no doubt about that. That was a blessing for him in a lot of ways, not just having a child, but I think it takes your eye off of other stuff, and none of that other stuff means anything anymore. It’s just the health of your family and doing your job, so I think that’s refocused him, for sure.”

Said Austin Rivers: “It’s given me an understanding of what’s important and not to overreact. Bad games. Good games. You come home and you’re still Dad. He don’t know nothing else. It gives you a perspective on life. It changes you. You have a kid and realize what’s really important. It actually takes pressure off everything. Nothing will come before fatherhood for me, ever in my life.”