Its time to start austin rivers

1) he always gives 100 percent effort.
2) until clemons came along, our best perimeter defender over the screen on the pick and roll....always hustiling on defense unless he's really tired, rotating on switches.
3) usually doesn't try to do more than he can, unless he has to. In other words, he's usually going for the shots he knows he can make...he's been a little been off lately, but he's had to take more riskier shots due to the injuries, and having to try to create something when the play is broken(shot clock going down)
4) underrated scorer..his stepback and hesitation drive move is very skilled and hard to do. he can drive into that little seam in the defense and has a good first step

look I never said that he was better than Russell Westbrook or that he should play more minutes..i just thought we should try it out because teams were doubling harden and leaving russ wide open from 3, and Austin's defense is generally better. Russ does certain things better on defense... Having said that, Russ played well in the first quarter against the clippers and they weren't doubling harden until he left the game.

I have also suggested in the past that we should start clemons and bring russ off the bench. Both he and Austin are better spot up shooters from the 3.

Why is it such a bad thing to come off the bench? manu did it. Russ did it on team USA. Until the clippers game we were rarely ahead after the first quarter and keep in mind, we were ahead because we were hitting our shots and they were missing a lot of wide open shots, its wasn't because our defense was good, contrary to what people may think.

I am advocating for better team defense and better spot up shooting from that spot basically. And I never said that russ shouldn't be in there in the fourth quarter. i'm just saying minimize that capela-harden-russ trio, but when I made this post, capela was sucking too. Now that capela is balling, its less urgent....he has been making his little jump hooks.

 

its worked well at times and other times it has plain sucked....and i'm not blaming it all on russ, i'm referring to the russ-harden-capela trio...Because capela couldn't even hit a baby hookshot early on.....he needs to hit that hookshot when russ drives and dumps....When rivers is wide open he's a better 3 point shooting option...he's definitely a better defender.

note: I did see harden actively giving the ball up to russ against the clippers in the first quarter more and letting him create and it worked.

basically if russ is just going to be an off the ball player camped at the three point line, i'd rather go with rivers or clemons...but they have been working on getting him the ball more with this trio...this has to work!!! russ needs the ball.

 

he is one of the most underrated players in the entire league! he's better than lou will, better than Beveley, better than a lot of players...he plays both ends of the floor and does all of the little things well...he holds his own even when switched onto a big forward in the paint on defense. he is critical along with tucker guarding the pick and roll and switching...he plays defense without fouling because his feet are quick. He's not flashy but these little things are how you win games.....he was shooting 46 percent from 3 early on.....

without him in there against the clippers, we lose that game easily, they would have destroyed us in the pick and roll.