Coach K Defends Austin Rivers Entering Draft
Published at(NEW YORK) — Heading into tonight’s NBA Draft, each prospect is being closely monitored and scrutinized. Some feel that Duke guard Austin Rivers’ attitude and mindset could give teams headaches, but his head coach at Duke felt the need to defend his former player.
“He is an alpha dog. I think he will succeed in the NBA because of that,” Mike Krzyzewski said. “He believes he’s going to be great. I’d rather have a guy like that than a guy who doesn’t believe in himself.”
“I hope he gets a demanding coach at the next level who pushes him to keep adding to his game,” Krzyzewski added. “That’s how he’ll become great. If he reverts bac to just doing the thing he does well, his chances lessen that he’s a good player in the NBA.”
In his lone season at Duke, Rivers averaged 15.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and shot .433% from the field.
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