Los Angeles Clippers: 2017-18 player grades for Austin Rivers

Strengths

The Clippers dealt with an injury-ravaged season, with key offensive players like Blake Griffin, Danilo Gallinari, Milos Teodosic and Avery Bradley all missing major time. When healthy, Rivers was a reliable contributor on the offensive end.

He was one of the few players on the team capable of creating his own shot. His speed and adept use of his body made getting to and scoring at the rim a common occurrence.

With Rivers being a threat to get to the basket, his shooting benefited. Coming off of screens, defenders would expect Rivers to drive and lay off of him, giving him more than enough space to hit uncontested jumpers. As a result, he shot career-highs with 5.9 3-point attempts per game and 37.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Apart from the steals, Rivers is a great one-on-one defender. His size and length were key in him forcing opponents into difficult shots.