As Hornets rookie Austin Rivers tries to make the transition from shooting guard to point guard in summer league play, Coach Monty Williams said it’s not necessarily a bad sign that he struggled in his first two games. Williams said Rivers is going through a transitional period that won’t necessarily stunt his growth once the regular season begins. Although Rivers worked exclusively at point guard in summer league, Williams said he plans to play Rivers also at shooting guard during the regular season. “I think this is the best thing for Austin,” Williams said. “He came here and played against hungry guys, the refereeing is not what he’s going to see during the season. It’s a lot tougher for a point guard trying to learn the position. Obviously during the season, we’re going to play him at both positions, but I think it’s good for him to come here and maybe struggle a little bit. He wants to get better, and I’m not worried about his drive and desire to get better.” After sitting out Wednesday night’s 78-61 victory against the Phoenix Suns with a sore ankle and foot, Rivers practiced Thursday afternoon. But he’s still listed as questionable to play in tonight’s game against the Dallas Mavericks. Read more: http://www.nola.com/hornets/index.ssf/2012/07/williams_not_concerned_about_r.html
