Austin Rivers says the Houston Rockets have “everything we need to win a championship this year.”
The Rockets acquired Russell Westbrook this summer and also signed Tyson Chandler in free agency. With Westbrook in the fold, Houston is the only team in the NBA with two MVPs on its roster.
Austin Rivers on the Rockets: “I think we’ve got everything we need to win a championship this year.”
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) September 27, 2019
Westbrook is one of the fastest players in the NBA. He’s a blur in the open court, impossible to stay in front of and can get to the rim at will while finishing in heavy traffic.
Article Continues BelowAustin Rivers sees Westbrook fitting in nicely with the Rockets since the former MVP brings a new dimension to the team. When Westbrook is pushing the ball in the open court, he’s going to collapse the defense when he gets to the basket, which will free up the Rockets shooters for wide-open looks from beyond the arc.
James Harden and Westbrook attract so much attention when they have the ball and are driving to the basket. Rivers knows he’s going to have open looks from the 3-point line when he’s on the floor with the two MVPs, so he worked tirelessly this summer on his 3-point shot.
Rivers is a career 34.7 percent shooter from beyond the arc. He shot an impressive 45.7 percent from deep in the 2019 playoffs for the Rockets in 10 games.
Everyone knows Rivers can score with ease in one-on-one situations, but the former Duke star is aware he’s going to have to become a reliable 3-point shooter for the Rockets to ultimately win the championship with Harden and Westbrook leading the charge.