Austin Rivers (left) and Anthony Davis (middle) form the young nucleus of Monty Williams’ New Orleans squad. (GETTY IMAGES)

In the first week of training camp, New Orleans Hornets head coach Monty Williams asked his squad that was gathered around him if anyone of them watched the presidential debate. Nearly all of them raised their hands. Then, Williams asked if they have spoken to their players’ union representative. No show of hands.

Williams reminded his young team that they need to be aware of their surroundings because our climate is changing, not just politically but also economically. They need to be aware of what is going on outside of basketball such as knowing their rights as players and details of the new collective bargaining agreement. Williams asked if any of them are aware of their union, and none of them seem to know. The coach also pointed to Roger Mason Jr., one of the main players during a very contentious negotiations with the league during the summer of 2011. Williams let his team know that Mason is a great source for anything union related, so they should take advantage.

Hornets camp is almost like a three-hour summer school session, with Williams playing the role of teacher and addressing a bunch of high school students. In reality, the Hornets are so young half of the team is only a few years removed from high school. The foundation of Williams’ squad are two 19-year-olds: Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers.

In his one and only season at the University of Kentucky, Davis was the consensus choice for college player of the year and powered the Wildcats to a national championship, in which he was named MVP of the Final Four. Rivers also played one season in college at Duke, and even though he didn’t have nearly the success Davis had the son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers was one of the most dynamic players.

“We’re think of Austin (Rivers) and Eric (Gordon) as guys who can put the ball on the floor,” Hornets general manager Dell Demps told NBA TV. Demps firmly believes Gordon can become the leader of the Hornets, which is why he matched Phoenix’s $58 million offer sheet this offseason to keep the 6-foot-3, 215-pound shooting guard in New Orleans.

“I really want us to grow. That is the most important thing for us. We want to get better, and get ready for the future. We’re still in the early stages,” says Demps, who points to the fact that Gordon, center Robyn Lopez and forward Ryan Anderson are all going into their fifth seasons but are all under 25 years old.

Gordon remains sidelined with a knee injury but when he returns the Hornets will have a nice young talented nucleus that includes the 6-10 Davis, who has a unique skill set that is already NBA ready. “He’s definitely a power forward. He’s very long. He’s definitely one of the longest players I’ve ever played with,” Gordon said of the No. 1 overall pick of the 2012 draft.

“His intangibles is crazy. He can block shots, he can rebound, and he can knock down that jump shot,” Gordon added.

The Hornets won only 21 games last season and was dead-last in the NBA in scoring. If Gordon can stay healthy, and Davis and Rivers contribute right away, the Hornets could be the surprise team in the Western Conference.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Austin Rivers is introduced at a press conference as the newest member of the New Orleans Hornets. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Learning on the job is part of the culture in the NBA. Austin Rivers knows this very well because his father, Glen “Doc”  Rivers, went through the same thing 30 years ago. But even though 19-year-old Austin has been groomed and prepped for life in the Association, it’s still a painful process — literally.

In his second game at the NBA Summer Pro League in Las Vegas, Austin Rivers took a beating against the Milwaukee Bucks. He hit the deck numerous times, slammed his left elbow on the floor, and took a shot to the knee that forced him to the bench for a few minutes. It’s the kind of physical game most first-year NBA players dread, a realization that this is a man’s game and the training wheels are off.

“Now is his time to grow. We’re putting the ball in his hands, putting the ball in the summer in his hands to see what he’s got,” Hornets assistant James Borrego told The Associated Press. Borrego, the Hornets’ head coach for their summer league team in Las Vegas, has Rivers playing point guard almost exclusively; a preview of what the Hornets are planning to do with the 10th overall selection in the 2012 NBA draft, who played mostly shooting guard at Duke and Winter Park High School (Fla.).

“Hopefully Austin’s that guy that can take that point guard position and run with it,” Borrego said. “There’s some things he’s got to learn as you go, but I think we’re all confident he can get there.”

So far Rivers is struggling as he adjusts to his new role as an NBA point guard. He went 1-for-6 and scored just six points against the Bucks on Monday. In two games, he’s now 4-for-19 from the field. He was outplayed by fellow rookie Damian Lillard in his summer league debut on July 15, as Lillard scored 25 points and looked more comfortable.

But in fairness to Rivers, Lillard was playing his natural point guard position while Rivers is still finding his way as a playmaker. Rivers did show some flashes of brilliance, splitting double teams with some nifty dribbling and getting to the free throw line by relentlessly attacking the basket.

“He’s a natural scorer. As a point guard, he can make it work though,” Borrego said. “He’s got to get better and he will. He’s putting in the time. He’s teachable. He’s coachable. He understands the game, which you want in a point guard. His instinct is to score but we’re trying to slow him down, learn our offense, learn our pace, learn our rhythm and I think those are things he’s going to get.”

The Hornets don’t want to slow Rivers down too much, seeing how Oklahoma City succeeded in turning Russell Westbrook from shooting guard to point guard. According to Hornets general manager Dell Demps, the team has matched the Phoenix Suns’ contract offer to guard Eric Gordon, so the Hornets envision a Rivers-Gordon backcourt in New Orleans to go with No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis in the frontcourt.

“We don’t want to put too much pressure on [Austin]. That’s what summer league is for. We’re here just evaluating,” Demps said. “It’s real early in the process. He only played one year in college. We’re going to take this slowly.”