Austin Rivers is earning rave reviews from Mike D'Antoni and James Harden since signing with the Houston Rockets.

The Rockets are 3-0 in Rivers' first three games with the team, with the shooting guard averaging 10 points while playing over 33 minutes per game in light of Chris Paul's injury.

“He definitely gives us some grit. He’s a tough guy. He’ll hit big shots and he’s not afraid of the moment. There’s a lot of good things you got to have for a good team," said D'Antoni. 

Harden added that Rivers is "a really good defender. He can shoot the ball well. He can make plays and handle it. Obviously, with the guys that are out, with him being basically free, it was a no-brainer. He’s going to have more than enough opportunities".

Rivers credited a familiarity with the Rockets' offense for his immediate success.

“We ran all the same stuff in L.A. It’s all reads. It’s the same offense in terms of 21 action, delay action, the pick-and-rolls, the one-on-one isolations. If you get a mismatch. you go at ’em. These are things that I love to do. I already fit in before I played my first game.”