Austin Rivers’ father is the humble and likeable Doc Rivers. But he has said that his favorite player is Kobe Bryant.
That’s why we wouldn’t be shocked if Rivers’ Duke teammates thought the 10th overall pick in last month’s draft had too much of Kobe’s me-first style. We took the hint, and interpreted it that way, when reading the following quote from ex-teammate Seth Curry.
“The biggest thing is trying to be more of a family,” Curry told Blue Devil Nation. “Just get to know each other off the court. This summer we’ve been really hanging out a lot more and getting to know each other.
“It seems like everyone likes each other more this year, so it should be a fun year.”
Curry also told CBS’ Duke beat reporter Shawn Krest, according to the reporter’s Twitter account, that last year’s version of the Blue Devils “weren’t close like this” – a nod to how Duke, which will be without Rivers this year, has changed.
Yes, we know that Curry didn’t single out Rivers by name, and the Blue Devils also will lose one-third of the Plumlee brothers, but it’s obvious to us who he was talking about.
Bryant can get away with be a cocky, volume shooter because, well, he’s Kobe Freakin’ Bryant. Rivers, for all his talents, might have taken some things off the table for last year’s Blue Devils, who were ousted in the round of 64 by Lehigh in shocking fashion.
