Austin Rivers is the Hornets point guard of the future. That’s how they see it.
How it pans out remains to be seen, but Rivers whatever happens with Rivers it will not be because of the ankle surgery he had this summer. He sounds read ready to put the Hornets’ theory to the test in training camp.
Rivers, the No. 10 pick overall of the Hornets, is at the rookie transitional program this week and spoke with the Times-Picayune about his ankle and his plans for this season.“I’m doing great actually now, so I’ll be back very soon,” Rivers said Tuesday by telephone from New York where he participated in the NBA’s rookie transition program. “It’s got a lot better and I actually got even stronger than I think I was before I got hurt.”
“I feel I have got more comfortable after each stage,” Rivers said. “But I won’t feel totally comfortable until after I play my first regular-season game.
I’ll get more comfortable and confident in training camp. It’s really going to come down to those first week of games before you realize what you need to do and then try to come out full blast from there whether you play good or not.”
The Hornets have Anthony Davis in the paint and Eric Gordon at the two guard on the wing. Those are the anchors for the future. Now it’s just finding the other pieces, and they are counting on Rivers to be part of that. Scouts had questions about if the score-first guard could adapt to the NBA point guard role. But we’ll see how Rivers fit s into what the Hornets have planed.
He’ll physically up to the task at the least.