New Orleans Hornets rookie guard Austin Rivers said he remains on schedule to be fully healed by October’s training camp after having surgery three weeks ago to remove a bone spur from his right ankle. Rivers continues to do most of his rehabilitation work in Winter Park, Fla., his hometown, but said he plans to return to New Orleans soon to resume work.
Rivers, who is the son of Boston Celtics Coach Doc Rivers, was limited to two games during the Hornets’ five-game schedule in the Las Vegas summer league because of what was termed lower leg soreness by the team.
“I’m doing great actually now, so I’ll be back very soon,” Rivers said Tuesday by telephone from New York where he participated in the NBA’s rookie transition program. “It’s got a lot better and I actually got even stronger than I think I was before I got hurt.”
Besides Rivers, center Robin Lopez and guard Xavier Henry are both recovering from knee surgeries last month. Shortly after participating in all five games on the Hornets’ summer league schedule, Henry had arthroscopic surgery to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee.
A week after Lopez was acquired in a trade from the Phoenix Suns, he required surgery to repair a tear of his medial meniscus in his left knee. Lopez and Henry have both participated in rehabilitation work at the Alario Center this week.
“I saw Robin and X (Henry) yesterday and they look like they were doing well,” Hornets Coach Monty Williams said. “These guys are progressing well and I don’t foresee these injuries or surgeries keeping them out of any regular season work.”
Rivers, 6 feet 4, 200 pounds, is expected to get substantial work at point guard in training camp although his natural position is shooting guard.
The Hornets played him mostly at point guard during summer league and they plan continue those plans during the regular season, where he can be paired in the backcourt with shooting guard Eric Gordon, whom the Hornets retained this summer after matching the Suns’ four-year, $58 million offer.
“I feel I have got more comfortable after each stage,” Rivers said. “But I won’t feel totally comfortable until after I play my first regular-season game.
“I’ll get more comfortable and confident in training camp. It’s really going to come down to those first week of games before you realize what you need to do and then try to come out full blast from there whether you play good or not.”
Rivers averaged 10 points and a team-leading 3.5 assists in the Hornets’ first two games in summer league before he went down with his ankle injury.
“It was tough going into summer league trying to play hurt, but everything is looking good,” Rivers said. “I’m real excited because I think we have a young talented team that can make a possible push for the playoffs.”
Rivers was selected with the 10th pick in the first round out of Duke. The Hornets’ rebuilding plans center around Rivers, Gordon and rookie forward Anthony Davis, who was the No. 1 pick in June’s draft and won a gold medal as the youngest member on the U.S. Olympic basketball team earlier this month at the London Olympics.
“We still have a lot to learn, but it starts with this training camp,” Rivers said. “It’s cool to have a teammate of Anthony Davis’ caliber. He hasn’t played in an NBA game yet and he’s already won a gold medal.”
Rivers, who is the son of Boston Celtics Coach Doc Rivers, was limited to two games during the Hornets’ five-game schedule in the Las Vegas summer league because of what was termed lower leg soreness by the team.
“I’m doing great actually now, so I’ll be back very soon,” Rivers said Tuesday by telephone from New York where he participated in the NBA’s rookie transition program. “It’s got a lot better and I actually got even stronger than I think I was before I got hurt.”
Besides Rivers, center Robin Lopez and guard Xavier Henry are both recovering from knee surgeries last month. Shortly after participating in all five games on the Hornets’ summer league schedule, Henry had arthroscopic surgery to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee.
A week after Lopez was acquired in a trade from the Phoenix Suns, he required surgery to repair a tear of his medial meniscus in his left knee. Lopez and Henry have both participated in rehabilitation work at the Alario Center this week.
“I saw Robin and X (Henry) yesterday and they look like they were doing well,” Hornets Coach Monty Williams said. “These guys are progressing well and I don’t foresee these injuries or surgeries keeping them out of any regular season work.”
Rivers, 6 feet 4, 200 pounds, is expected to get substantial work at point guard in training camp although his natural position is shooting guard.
The Hornets played him mostly at point guard during summer league and they plan continue those plans during the regular season, where he can be paired in the backcourt with shooting guard Eric Gordon, whom the Hornets retained this summer after matching the Suns’ four-year, $58 million offer.
“I feel I have got more comfortable after each stage,” Rivers said. “But I won’t feel totally comfortable until after I play my first regular-season game.
“I’ll get more comfortable and confident in training camp. It’s really going to come down to those first week of games before you realize what you need to do and then try to come out full blast from there whether you play good or not.”
Rivers averaged 10 points and a team-leading 3.5 assists in the Hornets’ first two games in summer league before he went down with his ankle injury.
“It was tough going into summer league trying to play hurt, but everything is looking good,” Rivers said. “I’m real excited because I think we have a young talented team that can make a possible push for the playoffs.”
Rivers was selected with the 10th pick in the first round out of Duke. The Hornets’ rebuilding plans center around Rivers, Gordon and rookie forward Anthony Davis, who was the No. 1 pick in June’s draft and won a gold medal as the youngest member on the U.S. Olympic basketball team earlier this month at the London Olympics.
“We still have a lot to learn, but it starts with this training camp,” Rivers said. “It’s cool to have a teammate of Anthony Davis’ caliber. He hasn’t played in an NBA game yet and he’s already won a gold medal.”