Why Austin Rivers and the Nuggets both needed each other

Austin Rivers signed with the Nuggets on April 20 but forgot to bring his jump shot to Denver. He opened his 10-day contract by shooting just 3-18 from three-point range across his first five games. It wasn’t the first impression Rivers was hoping to make on his new coach, new teammates and a new city.

Despite the shaky shooting start, the Nuggets’ trust in Rivers didn’t waver. Maybe it was partly because Denver had no other choice. Rivers was the belle of the late-season free-agent market and the Nuggets were in desperate need of experienced perimeter help after injuries had sidelined Jamal Murray for the season and Monte Morris for the last 10 games. Since then, Will Barton and PJ Dozier have also gone down.

But Denver also maintained its trust in Rivers because that’s simply how Michael Malone and the Nuggets roll. It’s something unlike Rivers has ever experienced throughout his nine-year NBA career that’s taken him from New Orleans to Los Angeles, Washington, Houston, New York, and now Denver. When Rivers began his Nuggets tenure shooting under 20% from three, Denver’s coaching staff and his teammates told him to keep letting it fly. Malone kept encouraging Rivers to play like himself, stay aggressive, and don’t be afraid to launch his patented step-back.

He finally broke through Wednesday against the Knicks, the team who cut Rivers from their rotation in February after acquiring Derrick Rose and then exiled him to Oklahoma City at the trade deadline. Rivers scored 25 points on 6-9 shooting from three-point range off Denver’s bench as the Nuggets thrashed the Knicks 113-97.

“It’s just beyond something I can describe, honestly,” Rivers said regarding the trust the Nuggets have shown in him. “I don’t feel like getting emotional right now, but this has been a lifesaver and changer for me. I’ve never experienced a team and organization like this. It’s so about we instead of me.”

“I’ve never had that before, that type of confidence from my teammates or my coaches. They do that with everybody there. That’s why Michael plays the way he plays, and Jokic. They just build everybody up here. I just feel kind of lucky. Honestly. I’m just lucky to be here and thankful to be here.”

Rivers was just what Denver needed for its stretch run. He’s experienced, battle-tested and has appeared in 45 career playoff games. That’s the third-most postseason experience on the Nuggets’ roster behind Paul Millsap and JaVale McGee. Rivers has played around star players before too. He spent three seasons as Chris Paul’s teammate on the Clippers and four with Blake Griffin. He played two seasons alongside James Harden in Houston.

None of them were anything like Nikola Jokic.

One of Rivers’ first run-ins with Jokic was on the practice court. He had played against Jokic several times before but had never been around him as a teammate in a non-game-like setting. Rivers was amazed as he watched Jokic, the leading MVP candidate and a three-time All-Star, walk onto the floor and without hesitation stroll over to one of the side baskets to shoot as he went through a workout on the gym’s main hoop.

“He has no ego,” Rivers said. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

Rivers had a front-row seat to Jokic latest masterpiece Wednesday night. Jokic scored 24 points in the first quarter on 8-9 shooting. He went 8-10 from the free-throw line in the period, hauled in six rebounds (two offensive), collected one steal, and was a force on the defensive end.

I don’t say this lightly, but I’ve watched every game Jokic has played over the last six years and this was the best quarter of basketball I have ever seen him play. That’s not hyperbole. Jokic’s level of focus, assertiveness, aggression and dominance on every play throughout the first quarter was jaw-dropping to watch live. Jokic tallied six first-quarter assists too. His final helper of the night came on a pinpoint cross-court pass where Jokic evaded a double-team to find Rivers on the left wing who drained his fourth triple of the night.

Rivers has seemed in awe of the culture in Denver and the Nuggets’ equal opportunity offense. Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. are Denver’s top offensive options, but within Denver’s attack, anyone else can go off during any given game.

“What makes this team special is your best player is a pass-first superstar,” said Rivers. “It starts from the top.”

“Everybody just buys into team-first. The ball pops. Nobody cares who has the big night.”

Rivers thinks he’ll have many more nights like he did against the Knicks. He told his teammates earlier in the day that Wednesday was the first time since he signed with the Nuggets that he felt like he was ready to play and had his legs under him. After nine games, he’s fully versed in the Nuggets’ playbook. He now has a feel for how Jokic, Porter and every player up and down Denver’s rotation plays.

With how injured the Nuggets’ guard rotation is, Rivers also knows that he’s going to be penciled in for around 30 minutes per night. That long leash and defined role should settle him down even more, and if Rivers is shooting well that number could rise. The Nuggets have also been impressed with Rivers’ defense and it’s another reason why he’s averaging 28.4 minutes per game over Denver’s last seven matchups. In the 235 minutes Rivers has played, the Nuggets are sporting a pristine 101.2 Defensive Rating.

“It takes time. I don’t know what people expected,” Rivers said. “I hadn’t been in a game in over 2 1/2 months. Even though I worked out, you just can’t simulate stuff and it’s not like this is a bad team I signed to. This is a top-tier team in the NBA. I’m trying to come in and not step on toes and try to figure out stuff. You kind of go out there and you just don’t want to mess up. That’s kind of what you do on a team like this.”

“After you play five or six games like I have, you start to realize, OK these are the things they do. These are the things they don’t do. And you finally find yourself. Then you realize, just go be yourself.”

The Nuggets needed Rivers for his two-way play and experience. But Rivers also needed Denver. The 28-year-old was at rock bottom when he fell out of New York’s rotation, was traded to Oklahoma City, and then waived. The former No. 1 rated recruit out of high school and lottery pick was on his couch and out of a job for the first time in his NBA career.

It forced him to change his perspective on basketball. Rivers still has high individual aspirations as a player. You can tell he eventually wants to return to a role as a lead offensive option. Rivers still has a desire to be the go-to scorer that he was pegged as coming out of Duke.

But that’s not his role in Denver, and he’s fine with it. Rivers’ job is to support the MVP of the league and one of the NBA’s top up-and-coming bucket-getters, do the dirty work, defend, and score within the flow of the Nuggets’ offense. He has totally embraced that job description.

Rivers’ perspective on life has changed too. You get the sense that his brief stint out of the league made a lasting impact on him. Rivers has made changes to his attitude and says he has realized the past mistakes he made. His new outlook seems genuine and feels very real.

It’s a partnership that both parties desperately needed.

“I don’t take this shit for granted,” Rivers said. “Every game I go out there and play hard as hell. When you get something taken away from you and you’re sitting at home for a month or two and you’re watching guys on TV, it changes you in a lot of ways.”

“One thing I’ve learned is positive energy defeats everything. It’s so much easier to live life happier. It’s so much easier to live life positive instead of worrying about yourself and being involved in yourself.”