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AUSTIN RIVERS IS THE NEXT…J.J. REDICK Given that Austin Rivers is one of the most polarizing college players in recent memory, it's no surprise that there's no real consensus on how he will fare in the NBA. Some feel Rivers will immediately be an impact player; others believe he'll bust. The only thing the two sides have in common is their conviction. To his credit, there's no question that the progeny of Doc Rivers was bred to be a star. Austin never looked more in his ele- ment than in the moments directly before he calmly stuck a cold-blooded dagger as time expired at North Carolina, giving Duke a one-point victory. It was a defining moment not only because he delivered, but also because he did so with such panache in an overwhelmingly pressure- packed situation. Rivers was, on the whole, a very good player last year, averaging 15.4 points and 3.4 rebounds a game for a very good team. And yet, though he showed many flashes of greatness during his mercurial fresh- man year, the Chapel Hill buzzer-beater was the only definitive instance. Rivers shot a shade under 39 percent in the final 10 games following the UNC win, and from the very start, he was consistently scrutinized for perceived weaknesses in decision-making and on defense. Regardless of which team drafts him, Rivers almost certainly won't be a star right off the bat, which will be an adjustment for someone who's never been anything less. But it's a blessing in disguise. Though Rivers will always attract attention based on his bloodlines and alma mater, he'll most likely have a little leeway to improve without immediate and vast expectations. It's not a foreign concept. Rivers told me in December, "I came in with all that hype and they expected [a great deal] early. People don't understand that I was just getting into it, that I was playing bet- ter and better and better." As such, though Rivers is often WORDS. BRYAN HOROWITZ PHOTO. DUKE PHOTOGRAPHY/JON GARDINER compared to fellow Duke phenom Kyrie Irving, a better aspiration among former Blue Devils is J.J. Redick. Redick didn't play much for the Magic early on, but he steadily shored up his weaknesses and rounded into a very solid two-way player whose minutes and scoring have gone up each of the past five seasons. Known for stealing away from his dorm to shoot around at midnight, Rivers' work ethic and learning curve are off the charts. There's no reason, in time, he can't become at least a very solid rotation player in the NBA. And if Rivers' determination to shine lands him in the spotlight, it shouldn't be that much of a shock either. He's been there before. 39