New York Knicks: The emerging importance of Austin Rivers

Austin Rivers by the numbers

Before we dig into the numbers, I’ll add this disclaimer: Small sample size alert. As of this writing, Rivers has played seven games and 196 minutes. He’s averaging 12.0 points, 2.6 assists, and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 50.8 percent from the field and 45.0 percent from 3-point range.

Barrett’s efficiency is off the charts right now. According to Cleaning the Glass, he’s in the 95th percentile for combo guards in points per shot attempt, and he’s made 83 percent of his shots at the rim. (Again, small sample size alert).

Of course, those percentages are bound to go down. Rivers is a career 35 percent 3-point shooter. But for now, he’s got the hot hand. He missed New York’s initial signature win against Milwaukee, but Rivers was a crucial part of their wins against Indiana and Utah.

The emergence of rookie Immanuel Quickley has greatly reduced the need for him to play some point guard. According to Basketball-Reference, Rivers has spent only 11 percent of his minutes played at the lead guard spot.

We’d all like to see more Quivers in the lineup. SUPER small sample size alert: According to CTG, a lineup of Quivers, RJ, Randle, and Mitch are outscoring opponents by 86.7 points per 100 possessions. They’ve only shared the court for 15 possessions, but the data is solid.

With the New York Knicks severely lacking in shooting, Rivers has picked up the slack. He’s 11-of-26 on catch and shoot triples (42.3 percent). Rivers’ 3-point rate is the highest of his career (.646). This is a guy who played for the Houston Rockets the last two seasons. So far, Rivers has been converting threes at a high clip, but eventually, the Knicks will need RJ Barrett to start making shots.

But even with all of Rivers’ shiny 3-point numbers, his lineup numbers still jumped out at me. Those offensive ratings probably say more about how bad the offense has been than they do about Rivers. It’s also very early, but that ORtg with Barrett is still concerning.

The Knicks needed a guy like Austin Rivers. Someone who wouldn’t back down from Chris Paul. Who challenged Kevin Garnett and earned the respect of Tom Thibodeau. A team with a bunch of young players needs someone fearless. Rivers gives the New York Knicks that authoritarian presence to bail out their lame-duck offense throughout the game and when it’s all on the line.