A new era is unfolding within the Houston Rockets organization. With new faces on board, it's an exciting (and somewhat uncertain) time to be part of the team. As it turns out, however, Austin Rivers might not be part of this new stage.
A recent report shed light on how problematic his time has been with Houston thus far, which includes an expletive-laden tirade towards former head coach Mike D'Antoni at one point in the season.
To be fair, Rivers did not exactly light it up for the Rockets in 2019-20. However, according to Kelly Iko, Sam Amick and Shams Charania of The Athletic, the 28-year-old's miserable time in Houston also had a lot to do with a number of external factors:
At times, Rivers was unhappy with his inconsistent playing time and utilization, sources said. In one instance, Rivers went on an expletive-laden tirade following a game where D’Antoni called for him to be substituted, only to change his mind and insert new signing Demarre Carroll. In another instance, Rivers was barked at by Harden after the former MVP missed a free throw and blamed Rivers — who was standing up by the bench — for distracting him.
Needless to say, Austin Rivers does not appear to have found a home in Houston after signing with the Rockets as a free agent last summer. Incidentally, the 6-foot-3 combo guard has a player option for next season–something that he's already said that he intends to decline.
At this point, it seems that Rivers is not going to be with the Rockets for very long.
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