Denver Nuggets: Why signing Austin Rivers was a necessary move

Austin Rivers finally found a new home with the Denver Nuggets with a 10-day contract.

To jog your memory, Rivers was part of the three-team trade between the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Oklahoma City Thunder. The trade package involved:

After completing the trade, Rivers was immediately waived by the Thunder so that he’d have an opportunity to hoop for a playoff-bound team as a free agent. And it made sense. Oklahoma City had no use for Rivers’ veteran presence since they’re focused on developing their young talent and landing at the top of the NBA lottery.

There were talks that he’d end up on the Milwaukee Bucks, but the Bucks decided to sign Jeff Teague instead.

The Denver Nuggets signed Austin Rivers because they needed to add guard depth before the post-season, especially with the loss of Jamal Murray.

The Nuggets were considering signing Rivers before Murray’s injury, which made sense. Denver shortened their guard depth after including Gary Harris and RJ Hampton in the deal for Aaron Gordon. And with the recent loss of Murray due to a torn ACL, signing Rivers made even more sense because their guard depth got that much smaller.

Denver also needed to add a seasoned guard with playoff experience to their rotation.

Rivers has played in 45 career playoff games — 22 with the Houston Rockets. His playoff averages are 7.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists with a slash line of .403/.341/.694.

Now don’t get me wrong, the addition of Rivers doesn’t fill the void of Murray. Yet Rivers could bring enough value to help the Nuggets make their playoff run interesting. Rivers’ shot creation off the dribble brings a valuable dimension that will be missed without Murray.

Now some of you are probably saying, “if Rivers was so good, why isn’t he still on the Knicks?” Yes, Rivers’ short stint with New York was a mixed bag.

He came in and instantly won the fanbase over with his bravado. He brought positive energy by emphasizing how the Knicks were back on track and heading in the right direction due to changes in the front office, coaching staff, and current roster. And based on how the Knicks season is going, he was right.

Because of a groin injury, he wouldn’t start the season until December 31, 2020, when the Knickerbockers played the Toronto Raptors in Tampa Bay.  But once he touched the court, he was a decent contributor – for a brief time.

Through the first seven games, Rivers averaged 12 points, 2.6 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 50.8 field goal percentage, and 45 three-point percentage during 28 minutes per game. The numbers don’t scream that he was a significant contributor, but opposing teams had to honor Rivers’ craftiness when watching the tape. He also brought a calm presence during that time, clearly contributing to the Knicks winning three of those seven games.

Unfortunately, Rivers would then have a slump from January 13, 2021, to February 7, 2021 – outside of scoring 25 points in the first half against the Utah Jazz. Rivers got his last meaningful minutes in a Knicks’ uniform on February 7 in their first matchup against the Miami Heat. The Knicks acquired Derrick Rose soon after, and Rivers quickly fell out of rotation.

Tom Thibodeau was looking for a guard to lead the second unit who could penetrate the lane and either finish around the rim or kick out to the open man on the arc. And while Immanuel Quickley is a rookie and couldn’t effectively do that on a night-to-night basis, there was an expectation that Rivers could play this role. However, by February it was clear that Rivers was not able to deliver on this vision.

While Rivers was on the Knicks, he averaged 6.4 drives per game and maintained a 49.1 field goal percentage. In comparison, former teammate Elfrid Payton averages 10 drives per game and carries a 46.2 field goal percentage; and Derrick Rose averages 11.9 drives per game and has a 48.3 field goal percentage while doing so.

As for passing, Rivers struggled in that area as well. Rivers only averaged 22.4 passes within 21.1 minutes per game. Conversely, Payton averages 40.9 passes during 25.3 minutes per game, and Rose averages 39.2 passes during 24.7 minutes per game.

Now, Rivers probably didn’t pass as much because he was considered a main scorer for the Knicks second unit for a period of time. But even if that was the case, there needs to be a balance of knowing when to get your own shots and when to get your teammates involved.

Now just because Rivers didn’t fit on the Knicks, that doesn’t mean he can’t be helpful on the Nuggets. Denver already has Monte Morris and Facundo Campazzo to run the point. Essentially what they would need out of Rivers is for him to be a combo guard, where he’s had success for most of his career – mainly with the LA Clippers and the Rockets.

And so far, through his three games with the Nuggets, Rivers has played well and has given some decent minutes to be part of solid wins.

Rivers won’t solve all of Denver’s problems since Murray is out for the remainder of this season (and most of next season too). But Rivers should help mitigate some of Denver’s scoring and defensive woes in the backcourt.