Pelicans' Austin Rivers: 'The growing pains are over'

New Orleans Pelicans guard Austin Rivers hasn't just been sitting around this summer. In the face of trade speculation, Rivers has been working to improve his game.

''I was constantly working the entire summer,'' Rivers told the Times-Picayune. ''I gained 10 pounds and I've got stronger in my upper body. This is my year."

Rivers has failed to lived up to expectations since being drafted 10th overall in 2012. A purported "scorer" by trade, Rivers has largely struggled with his shot, sinking under 40 percent of his career field-goal attempts while logging an average of just seven points per game.

But according to Rivers, that's all in the past. ''The growing pains are over and I went through everything, so I'm ready to ball."

''I've strictly worked on mid-range and getting my body stronger this summer,'' Rivers said earlier this week. ''I've got both of those things and I'm ready to prove and show people that this year.''

Being undersized and struggling from the mid-range has plagued Rivers to date. Prior to bulking up, Rivers weighed a slight 200 pounds, and his lack of strength affected his ability to reliably defend his position. The mid-range has also been an issue given that Rivers has sunk just 23.1 percent of his attempts from 10-16 feet last season.