While many consider the former lottery pick to be a disappointment after his first three NBA seasons, Rivers seems to have found a home as Chris Paul's backup in Los Angeles. After being traded last season from New Orleans to Boston and finally ending up in Los Angeles, the young point guard settled comfortably into a bench role under the guidance of his father and coach Doc Rivers. Rivers, who played in 76 games last season, rounded out the year by playing the final 41 games with the Clippers. During his stretch in LA, Rivers averaged 7.1 points, 2.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 0.6 steals while shooting 43 percent in 19 minutes per game. Rivers brings little to the table in terms of fantasy value, as he posted just 3.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per 36 minutes last season, and he should continue to see limited minutes as long as Paul remains healthy. On top of his issues with low playing time and poor adjusted statistics, Rivers has struggled mightily with efficiency over the last three years, shooting just 40 percent from the field and 62 percent from the free-throw line on his career. Beyond that, Rivers could see fewer minutes following the signing of veteran point guard Pablo Prigioni, who should add depth to an already crowded Los Angeles backcourt.

Rivers enters his third season in the NBA with a "bust" tag thanks to the former lottery picks' lackluster first two professional seasons, but the negativity surrounding Rivers may be a bit overstated. Last season, Doc Rivers' son averaged 7.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 0.7 steals in 19 minutes per game for the Pelicans. Rivers was also able to greatly improve his three-point shooting, hitting 36 three-pointers, and raising his accuracy nearly four full percentage points to 36 percent between his rookie and sophomore years. Free-throw shooting remains an issue for the combo guard, however, as he connected on just 64 percent of his attempts from the charity stripe. This may be the season that Rivers can finally make his mark on the league. Thanks to the departure of Brian Roberts to the Charlotte Hornets, there's an opening behind Jrue Holiday in the Pelicans rotation. Rookie Russ Smith and former Naismith College Player of the Year Jimmer Fredette will both make claims to that rotation spot, but Rivers holds the upper hand due to his familiarity with coach Monty Williams' playbook, not to mention his personal relationship with his head coach. Rivers isn't the best defender, but he has the ability to be the scorer off the bench that Williams lost when Roberts moved on.

Rivers had a rough season in 2012-13, averaging just 6.2 points with a PER* of 5.95. The combo guard missed the end of the season with a broken hand, but was a healthy participant for the Pelicans' summer league team. Rivers has reportedly improved this summer, but he will have stiff competition for backup guard minutes with Roberts, Morrow and Evans.

As the 10th overall pick, Rivers has known Monty Williams since he was a toddler and is primed to succeed in New Orleans. Rivers epitomizes a “combo guard.” At 6’4, 200lbs, he stands undersized to be a true shooting guard, but his score-first attitude goes against being a true point guard. While a starting point guard at Duke, Rivers averaged 15.5 ppg and 3.4 rpg but only accrued 2.1 apg. What Rivers has going for him is that he has only one point guard ahead of him on the roster.. Rivers will be a key contributor this year, though it remains to be seen where he will be used more. One thing that is for sure is that he will be able to score.