1. Austin Rivers
Austin Rivers is the most likely candidate to see a bigger role in Orlando because his game and skillset is similar to Gordon’s. Offensively, Rivers is a reliable ball-handler when James Harden and Russell Westbrook are on the bench and he shoots the ball well from 3-point range at 35.8 percent. Rivers was especially shooting the ball well in early March, shooting 53.8 percent from deep, before the NBA season was suspended.
Not only will the Rockets need Rivers to pick up where he left off shooting the ball, but they also need RIvers to fill in the role of floor-general, especially when Harden and Westbrook are not on the court. Gordon served as one of the Rockets’ primary ball-handler and was always a threat to get to the rim. With Gordon’s absence, the Rockets will have to rely on Rivers to be one of the team’s main ball-handlers and also need him to attack the rim more often so that he can help stretch out opponents’ defense.
Defensively, Rivers is an excellent on-ball defender who excels when guarding an opponent one-on-one. Gordon played a key role as an on-ball defender, especially on the perimeter, for the Rockets, so D’Antoni must look to Rivers to fill this role. With the Rockets’ small-ball approach, keeping their opponents in front of them on defense is key and Rivers will be called on to step into this role.
Overall, Rivers is the biggest x-factor for the Houston Rockets while they are without Gordon. Rivers’ performance in the NBA restart could very well be the difference in how successful the Rockets are in Orlando.