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LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 26, 2016

Austin Rivers

Los Angeles, California

Q. I'm just curious, I was asking Jamal the same question, you guys have a team that's very, very deep. How does everyone stay happy and engaged knowing that you're not going to get 30, 35 minutes a night?
AUSTIN RIVERS: I think we just have to understand you have to sacrifice things to win. I think all great teams do it. From top to bottom, every team has to do it. Tim Duncan last year for the Spurs taking less minutes, Steph Curry and those guys have to take less shots this year because Kevin Durant. Every great team has things that you have to sacrifice to be a better team, and we are for sure.

Q. Coming into this year, you guys have pretty much the same goal, similar core group, but considering how last season ended, what sort of changes could be coming up for this roster next summer with guys going into free agency, is there a different feel coming into camp this season than there has been previously?
AUSTIN RIVERS: There is a different feel. I don't know whether it's due to free agency for other players or not. I just know I feel like we have a more mature group just as a whole. I feel like we're more close and we're communicating better. Right now I just feel like there's a sense in our locker room, it just seems more serious this summer, or this season. Everybody is going into it with -- there's no more like win or bust or all these things. We're not having any of these sayings, we're just going to go hoop and try to get it done. We have a really good team we feel like this year, and we honestly really do believe we have a good shot this season, despite what everybody thinks, we feel like we do, and that's all that really matters at this point.

Q. J.J. said earlier that he named you as one of the core part of the team. With that being said, and Paul Pierce, it's his last season, do you feel any kind of pressure to kind of really pull up the game or even to be better or any goals that you have this year more than last year?
AUSTIN RIVERS: I don't really feel pressure, but I do feel like I need to be a better version, if you will, of what I was last year. And I'm excited to do that. It's been a great summer. The coaches here have been great. I've been working with Sam Cassell, John Welsh, all the new -- D Brown, some of the new assistant coaches. I've added stuff to my game. I'm excited just to go out there and play as hard as I can, help the team win. Those guys have come to me and said, listen, you're a part of this. You're one of our guys now, you've got to lead. You have to be a leader. You've got to be one of the first at practice. You've got to lead the young guys, and you're in charge of your group. I might start a lot of games, I don't know, but I have to be ready to hoop and play. It's a dream come true, just considering where I was three or four years ago to now. I'm excited.

Q. You talked about adding stuff to your game. This past summer, and you're still a young player, how have you progressed? What have you added? What skills, what part of your game are you going to bring to the Clippers this year?
AUSTIN RIVERS: Yeah, I forget, it's my fifth season, I'm like 24. It feels like I've been here for a while, but I haven't. I'm only 24 and still learning. I think the biggest thing I've added is just shooting. Just trying to be a more consistent shooter, especially from long-range, added a mid-range jumper. It's really been shooting all summer and strength, just getting stronger. I want to be able to guard the three.

As far as individual goals, I can't really -- obviously most improved or one of the first or second team defense. I want to be one of the elite defenders in the league because I think that's something that can help Chris out, something where he don't have to worry about guarding the best player every night. It's tough, he has so much on his shoulders already, for him to go in and guard the best player and do all the stuff he has to do on offense, so for me just kind of being unselfish and being like, don't worry about that, you just focus on being Chris, I'll focus on guarding these guys. It'll make it easier on him.

I think all the great teams have that. You look at the Warriors, the Blazers, the Thunder, their telephone point guards a lot of teams are not guarding the best player. That's because they have so much on their shoulders already. So that's what I'd like to help out, something added to my game this year with Chris.

Q. Last week, you, DeAndre and Blake kind of had an Instagram war, kind of trading pokes at each other. How close are you with them and what does that show about the team's overall chemistry?
AUSTIN RIVERS: I've gradually gotten close with them. Nothing can come between them, but listen, they're obviously jealous of my looks, and my Instagram selfies really make them feel a little self -- I don't blame them. It was tough. I posted the picture, and then D.J. sent a private text saying stop doing it. Know what I mean? I was like, why, and he gave me some reasons, and then I posted a picture of him, and then Blake obviously wants to get along because that's like his little brother, so Blake is trying to look after his little brother, and then it just escalated from there.

But in all seriousness, those two guys are like the leaders of our team. Especially D.J., he's our most vocal leader. It's always good to just be human and just have fun and not worry about -- just be like everybody else, and that's what we are, at the end of the day. It's fun, man. I think that stuff really does build team camaraderie going out to dinner. We've already done more things just this season, and the season hasn't started yet, than we did all last year. We've already gone to like four team dinners. You can see we're really starting to bond and get one another, and that stuff does carry over on the floor, so it's all good, man.

Q. Being related to Doc, do you feel like you get coached a little harder or maybe you have to prove something a little bit more, that you're not shown favoritism?
AUSTIN RIVERS: At first when I was new here. When I was new here for sure I didn't know how to handle it. I've never been coached by him my whole life. It wasn't something that was planned. It just kind of happened. We both thought -- he knew my game, and obviously he knows my best, right, or he knew what I could do given the opportunity. It's worked out for both of us. I've helped the team and he's helped me, not just him but the coaches have helped me. The NBA is all about opportunity, I think. You've got to have an opportunity, and then you have to take it because if you miss it, you most likely won't get another one. I had tough times in New Orleans, and I don't take any of them back because they made me a stronger person and a stronger player, and I'm thankful for everything those people have done for me down for me down there in New Orleans, and I'm happy to be here. It's been great working with Doc and all the new coaches, as well, yeah.

Q. The last time people saw you play was up in Portland. You could barely see out of your eye. You had a gutsy performance, and I know that you don't always care about how people perceive you, but there was a lot of change in how people perceived you. How do you feel going into the next season after that?
AUSTIN RIVERS: Yeah, it was crazy, I had people hitting me up, like it took for you to get your eye blackened for people to like you, and it's funny, I wasn't trying to be a hero. I don't think I was a hero. I think I was doing something that any of my teammates would have done. I got hit in the eye, and we had a lot of guys down. I just tried to just fill in and just keep playing. I couldn't see out of it, but I gave it my best. We fell short, though, ultimately. I feel like I could have done more and we could have done more, but you learn from your mistakes.

As far as the perception of me, I can only be myself. Not everybody is going to understand you or get to know you, so you can only do what you can do. But I'm happy where I'm at in life. I have the people I love around me. I get to do what I love, and I'm thankful. That's it.

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