Duke basketball: Top seven Blue Devil sharpshooters in NBA bubble
By Matt Giles
Duke basketball’s sweetest shooters in the NBA bubble: Austin Rivers
Career, season, and bubble 3-point percentages: 34.8, 35.5, 31.3
Career, season, and bubble FG percentages: 41.7, 41.7, 34.6
Career, season, and bubble FT percentages: 64.2, 68.7, 88.9
Shooting stroke purity (10-point scale): 8.5
Despite claiming homecourt advantage on the same Disney World courts from his youth, Austin Rivers is the only Duke basketball name on this list who hasn’t exhibited flashes of brilliance in Orlando as of yet. That said, he missed scrimmages prior to the restart after having to leave the bubble for an undisclosed family matter. And the eighth-year pro is still a regular weapon off the bench for a serious playoff contender.
The 28-year-old Rivers and the 43-25 Houston Rockets, No. 4 in the Western Conference standings, are 3-1 since the restart and have four games remaining in their regular season: against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday at 8 p.m., against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday at 2 p.m. (NBA TV), against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday at 4 p.m. (NBA TV), and against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday (TV and tipoff time to be announced).