Those who thought that Austin Rivers had turned a corner after his 28-point explosion a few weeks ago were surely disappointed with his followup performances. A combined 9-for-36, 25 percent, over the next 6 games.
Yet he still continues to earn minutes, and I don’t even think it’s nepotism in this case. The Clipper’s depth is not very good at any position, and Chris Paul can’t play all 48, so someone else has to play. Nate Robinson might take all of Rivers’ minutes, or he might not, but for now Austin has to pretend to be an NBA player for a quarter or two a night.