NBA veteran Austin Rivers is no stranger to sharing his opinion on the league, and while making an appearance on his podcast Off Guard, the 30-year-old touched on who he believes is the better player between Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves and Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole.
“I love Austin Reaves,” Rivers begins. “I love his talent.”
“His best skill is how aggressive he is as a player. He’s aggressive every time he gets the ball. He’s in attack mode all the time… turn it over, miss shot, don’t matter.”
“He’s not the quickest, can’t jump the highest, not the greatest shooter, not the most skilled. He can do a little bit of everything here and there,” Rivers continues, before reiterating that Reaves is “aggressive.”
“He attacks. I love it and he competes.”
Who would you rather have on your team in the long term: Austin Reaves or Jordan Poole?@AustinRivers25 and @paush discuss this and more on the latest #OffGuard. pic.twitter.com/iyHosGe9DZ
— RingerNBA (@ringernba) May 22, 2023
However, for all of Reaves’s gumption, Rivers doesn’t believe his skill level is anywhere close to Poole’s.
“His skill level is not the same as Jordan Poole’s. It’s not even in the same realm. It’s not.
…The range he has. The shot-making ability. If you’re talking skill level for skill level… he’s nowhere near Jordan Poole. Let’s not even get it twisted. Just in terms of skill level.”
But where Reaves excels is where Poole has not, according to Rivers.
“That’s where the other half of this comes. Well for Austin Reaves lacks in ability, or maybe certain skill levels not being matched to Jordan [Poole], he makes up in how hard he plays on both ends.
Does he play the right way? Can he fit in almost any team system in the NBA? Does he get to the foul line? Is he efficient? Does he know his role? Do his teammates like him? Does he buy in? Does he do everything you ask him?”
Source: https:/clutchpoints.com
