Austin Rivers Calls Out JJ Redick: Your Best NBA Seasons Were with Doc, Clippers

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First, Patrick Beverley called out JJ Redick for his criticism of Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers, then, in an unsurprising development, Austin Rivers did the same.

Rivers, who is the son of the Bucks head coach, said on NBA Today he has “love” for Redick but pointed out “your best years were with the [Los Angeles] Clippers. I don’t think he saved your career, I appreciate you Pat… But in terms of accountability, what are we doing here?

“Your best years in the NBA were when you played for him and the Clippers. Let’s not forget that. I don’t know if there’s frustration there or there’s tension there between you. I know a lot of times we had to sit you toward the end of the game due to defensive reasons.”

The comments come after Redick criticized Rivers on First Take and said he “is always making excuses” and that “there’s never accountability with that guy.”

Those comments drew a response from Beverley, which led to a back-and-forth between the two:

Redick played for the Orlando Magic, Bucks, Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks during his 15-year NBA career. He played for Rivers in Los Angeles for four seasons from 2013-14 through 2016-17 and started 265 of 266 games while averaging 15.8 points behind 46.6 percent shooting from the field and 44 percent shooting from deep.

While he played well for the Clippers, he also averaged 17.6 points per game during the next two seasons for the 76ers, which was the best mark of any of his stops.

Beverley plays for Rivers on the current version of the Bucks, and Austin Rivers is the coach’s son, so it’s not exactly surprising they jumped to his defense. But Milwaukee has largely struggled since Rivers took over for the fired Adrian Griffin and went 3-7 in its last 10 games ahead of the All-Star break.

Rivers also didn’t seem to take much accountability when he threw his players under the bus following the most recent loss to the Memphis Grizzlies and told reporters, “We had some guys here, we had some guys in Cabo.”

He also told reporters upon taking the job that he “wouldn’t wish this on anyone” and taking over a team during the season is quite a “challenge.”

Milwaukee is in championship-or-bust mode, and Rivers is facing plenty of pressure considering the team was 30-13 when it fired Griffin. He is someone who is known for failing to seize opportunities and protect leads in playoff series, and anything less than a title would be a disappointment with a team featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.

The discourse around Rivers surely won’t go anywhere if the Bucks fail to deliver.