The New York Knicks are having a refreshingly good start to the 2021 season. Through tough play and a cohesive effort on both ends, the Knickerbockers currently sit at 5th in the East with a record of 4-3 through the first 7 games.

No doubt, 28-year-old point guard Austin Rivers has been a huge part of their play so far, with averages of 10 points per game on 46% shooting from three.

Of course, all of his hard work comes with some unfortunate side effects, as he revealed on his Instagram...

"Real athletes know these problems.

She mad I wanna go hoop on my day off and we (squad) just got back from long road trip."

Seems like Austin has the "mamba mentality." Despite coming back from a road trip, he went out to work on his game instead of staying home and taking the day off. In today's NBA, which is becoming highly criticized for a decrease in work ethic, this is exactly the type of thing fans want to see.

The hope for the Knicks is that their new culture will help finally bring some success and optimism for a franchise that has long been decimated by failure.

It'll be interesting to see how it all plays out, and what role Rivers has in it all.