Are Austin Rivers, Meyers Leonard busts?

In a loaded 2012 NBA Draft, the New Orleans Pelicans used the 10th-overall pick on guard Austin Rivers while the Portland Trail Blazers selected center Meyers Leonard with the 11th-overall pick. Both players have had trouble staying on the court and neither has been productive.

"You know, I try not to place labels like that on young players, but sooner or later that is exactly what they’ll be called. I know we’re all about instant gratification and immediate impact these days, but I’ll probably wait until after this year to assess what type of progress they’ve made. Leonard is in a really good situation there in Portland. You’d hope that practicing and playing alongside a guy as talented as LaMarcus would help, but we shall see. There was slight improvement in year two, but not enough to truly register in terms of stats. The one noticeable difference was how much more comfortable he looked at times. Sometimes it takes a few years to truly find your footing and niche at this level, so let’s hope they each can."

The Pelicans have been trying to deal Rivers, largely because of his lack of production. Last season, Rivers went for 7.7 points, 2.3 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game while shooting 40.5% from the field, 36.4% from three and 63.6% from the free throw line. Leonard averaged just 2.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting 45.1% from the field and 76.2% from the free throw line in the 2013-2014 season.

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