Austin Rivers unplugged: The Joker's aura, MPJ's potential and more

SAN DIEGO — Nikola Jokic isn’t your typical NBA superstar. We know that here in Denver.

Austin Rivers didn’t.

Before Rivers signed a 10-day contract with the Nuggets late last season, he had no clue what it was like to be teammates with the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. But he quickly learned that Jokic was unlike any of the stars Rivers played next to during stops in New Orleans, Los Angeles with the Lob City Clippers, and Houston with the Beard and the Brodie.

The scene unfolded during a Nuggets practice shortly after Rivers joined the team last April. Rivers was shooting on one of the gym’s main baskets and noticed Jokic taking the floor for a shooting routine of his own. Typically, Rivers would move to one of the gym’s side hoops, continue his workout there and let the star player use the main basket. That’s what’s customary on many of Rivers’ past teams.

Before he could, Jokic motioned for him to stay put. The presumptive MVP then began his workout and started to get up shots on a side basket. Rivers remained on the gym’s main hoop.

“A lot of times, those guys are assholes,” Rivers told DNVR. “It’s just what it is. It’s just a fact. It’s what makes them good too, at the same time. Jokic is just a different type of being, man. It wasn’t a big deal. It’s just a humble thing. It’s just the little things that make him such an elite player and an elite guy that guys want to play with. If you didn’t watch basketball and you watched our team’s body language, you wouldn’t know who’s the star and who’s not because we all act the same way.”

Playing alongside a superstar like Jokic was one of the factors that pulled Rivers back to Denver this offseason. When Rivers signed with the Nuggets as a free agent during last season’s stretch run, he also had interest from the Bucks and Nets. Playoff teams came calling this summer once again once free agency opened. Rivers said five teams offered him a similar role to the one the Nuggets had available as their backup shooting guard.

He again chose Denver, but without guaranteed playing time. Rivers had an idea of how many minutes and what role he could play this season but knew that nothing is guaranteed after a decade in the NBA.

“Being in the league after ten years, you can’t expect anything from anybody,” Rivers told DNVR. “You’ve just got to go out and earn anything. But I know what they told me; they told me they wanted me to be an off-the-bench, 6th, 7th man type role. I said I’d be more than happy to do that. Obviously, I’m willing to do anything they want me to do, but that’s a role I have no problem playing. With injuries, you never know what’s going to happen. I just try to be ready and ready to compete.”

Rivers was ready last season when Michael Malone called his number. While he started his Nuggets tenure by shooting 6-30 from distance over his first eight games with Denver, he eventually heated up and went 15-31 (48.4%) from 3 during the Nuggets’ six-game series win over the Trail Blazers. But he brought it defensively from day one.

Malone was confident in Rivers’ defensive upside after coaching against him for years even though the 29-year-old has never been regarded as a high-level defender. Tim Connelly was the Assistant GM in New Orleans when Rivers was drafted 10th overall out of Duke in 2012 and believed he could make an impact with his defense.

“We knew had the ability to sit down and guard,” Malone said. “Because he’s quick. He knows the league. He’s a coach’s son. He knows personnel. His defense is probably something that doesn’t get enough credit.”

With that assessment, Malone hit on another factor that pushed Rivers back to Denver: the Nuggets coaching staff. Rivers is Doc Rivers’ son. Malone and lead assistant David Adelman are also sons of coaches. There’s a special kind of kinship and understanding there.

That relationship factors into play when Rivers discusses his reputation around the league and the inaccurate stigma that’s followed him throughout his career. It’s something that bothers Rivers and weighs heavy on his mind. But he’s working to correct it and feels these coaches see who he really is.

“This coaching staff is able to relate to me,” Rivers told DNVR. “I think they understood how I am because I get mislabeled a lot. I hear it all the time. People don’t know what type of guy I am. People say they don’t know how I’m going to be in the locker room. People say if I don’t play a lot, I’m not going to be happy. I don’t know a player who is happy about not playing. And I don’t know if you want a guy on your team who’s OK with not playing. I don’t understand that.”

“But being a distraction is something different, and I’ve never been that. I’ve always wanted to play and been competitive about that, but I’ve never ever taken away from my team. I’ve always supported my teammates. I’ve always been that guy, and I stand by that. You can ask any of my former teammates. I hear that shit all the time, though. It’s been nice to be with people that can actually understand me.”

It’s why Rivers spoke up last season about the misperception a lot of people have around Michael Porter Jr. You probably remember Porter’s comment during the Nuggets’ run inside the NBA bubble that to beat the Clippers, Denver needed to “get more players involved.” It’s partly how many people, especially those outside of Denver, know of and view Porter to this day. There’s a “selfish” or “egotistic” label that’s been attached to him ever since.

Rivers has gone through similar experiences. He’s seen firsthand how one comment can paint an incorrect picture of who someone is both as a player and person.

“The dude’s competitive. They just lost. The dude just wanted the ball. Now that means he’s a bad guy?” Rivers told DNVR regarding Porter’s comment. “The league is like a big high school. Everybody knows each other. You’ve got the popular kids, and you’ve got the not popular kids. It’s hard, especially as a young player. You come in at 19, 20-years-old, you’re not going to handle everything the right way.”

“You should be allowed to be human. Unfortunately, in our sport, sometimes you’re not allowed to be human. You make a couple mistakes, and you’re a bad guy. It’s hard to change in the league. It takes years and years to get people to see who you are and understand the type of guy you are. It’s been a process, and I’m still working at it now, honestly.”

Rivers is a believer in Porter, who is also the son of a coach. He sees how hard Porter grinds every day in practice, the hundreds upon hundreds of shots he gets up daily, and how he’s not the self-centered player that many make him out to be. Throughout training camp, Porter has been one of Denver’s standouts, and Rivers thinks he’s in store for a breakout season.

Of course, Porter’s potential ascension also played a part in Rivers returning to Denver. Like many free agents, winning was at the top of his priority list this offseason when looking for a new team. Even with Jamal Murray sidelined to start the season, Rivers thinks the Nuggets can contend.

It all starts with the side-hoop shooting centerpiece in Jokic, but Rivers also thinks Denver’s complementary pieces like Aaron Gordon and Will Barton fit perfectly. And, of course, he believes in Porter.

“I think Michael Porter Jr. will be an All-Star this season,” Rivers told DNVR. “We’re still working with him defensively. He’s putting the effort into that. But he’s going to be an All-Star. 6-10, top-2 or 3 jump shooter in basketball. It’s hard to see a guy like that who we’re going to be featuring on offense not making the All-Star game. He’s too good, man. He’s just too good.”