Timberwolves’ Austin Rivers believes highlight culture killed the game of basketball

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Austin Rivers will forever love playing basketball at the NBA level, but the 11-year veteran also feels that highlight culture killed the sport.

“When I played high school, you only got a mixtape if you were a top-tier guy,” said Rivers on The Ringer. “The landscape has changed now. Parents are paying people to come; everyone gets a mixtape and looks at the camera.”

Referring to a couple of NBA betting sites, the Timberwolves possess the 19th-best odds to win the championship. A few sportsbooks are showing better odds for the Portland Trail Blazers and Sacramento Kings.

Austin Rivers on the mix tape culture

(via @ringernba)pic.twitter.com/tiZ6xl0XQD

— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) January 17, 2023

“Nowadays, kids only watch highlights. They don’t watch actual basketball games, the purity of the game,” added the Timberwolves guard. “Making a hockey pass, diving on the floor, talking on defense, playing defense at all, shooting good shots, making the game easy, scoring of 1 or 2 dribbles instead of 15 dribbles. This whole thing has been forgotten about in basketball.”

Rivers was brutally honest during this segment. Since this is the social media era, most athletes have a Twitter, YouTube, and/or Instagram account. Any average baller can look great in a highlight reel.

Timberwolves guard Austin Rivers says kids nowadays would rather watch basketball highlights than a full game

Moreover, casual basketball fans find it more convenient and entertaining to watch short highlight videos than tune in to view how a play develops, why a coach made an adjustment, and how a superstar struggling can affect his team around him.

Rivers understands this point better than die-hard fans. The Timberwolves guard has played for seven different NBA teams throughout the course of his 11-year career. Simply put, he’s still in the league because he can help any contending team win games.

This is exactly what Austin Rivers was talking about. https://t.co/rLRYjEt8NB

— Rishi Oza (@RishOza_) January 17, 2023

So, highlight culture is not the same as it was over a decade ago. LeBron James would probably agree. Through 35 appearances this season, Rivers is averaging 5.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. Plus, he’s shooting 47% from the field and a career-best 39.1% beyond the arc.

On Dec. 21, in the Timberwolves’ 104-99 loss against the Dallas Mavericks, the guard recorded a season-high 21 points in 37 minutes played. Along with amassing four boards, two assists, and two steals, he shot 8-of-13 (61.5%) from the floor and knocked down three 3-pointers.