Pelica Debrief
Fansided

New Orleans Pelicans: 15 best draft picks of all-time

By John Buhler

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - MARCH 24: New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul #3 looks on during the game against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena on March 24, 2011 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The New Orleans won 121-117. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2011 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - MARCH 24: New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul #3 looks on during the game against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena on March 24, 2011 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The New Orleans won 121-117. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2011 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Austin Rivers, New Orleans Pelicans
(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Though he has carved out a rotational role as a backup point guard for his father Doc Rivers‘ Los Angeles Clippers, Austin Rivers was largely a bust during his brief stint in the Big Easy. The Hornets drafted the one-and-done point guard out of Duke University No. 10 overall in the 2012 NBA Draft.

While he had a great deal of promise coming out of his one year with the Blue Devils, Rivers did not find himself as a combo guard in his 2.5 seasons with the Hornets/Pelicans. After starting 26 games for the Hornets as a rookie, he would only start seven games in his second and third seasons in the league with New Orleans. This might have had something to do with him shooting 39.0 percent from the field in his Crescent City hoops career.

Simply put, Rivers was not handling the NBA spotlight in New Orleans very well. He was on his way out of the league for sure. That was, until his father saved him and orchestrated a pair of multi-teams deal between the Pelicans, Clippers, the Boston Celtics, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Phoenix Suns to bring Rivers to California via New England. In the last 3.5 seasons, Rivers has proven to be a reliable NBA player. He is averaging 11.1 points, 2.5 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game in 26.2 minutes per contest for the Clippers.

No, Rivers’ tenure in New Orleans wasn’t great. It was quite bad in fact. However, he did average 6.9 points and 2.3 assists in 21.4 minutes per contest in his 165 games with the Pelicans over 2.5 seasons. By shipping Rivers to Boston, the Pelicans were able to get back reliable rotational player Quincy Pondexter in the process. So maybe it wasn’t all for nothing with the Austin Rivers experiment after all.