It's been just a couple of months since the Washington Wizards acquired Austin Rivers, but the latter already believes that the Wizards are ‘heavily slept-on.' Indeed, the D.C. boys look good on paper but it remains to be seen if their talent translates to wins.

Rivers sat down with James Herbert of CBS Sports as the 26-year old combo guard talked about the potential of the Wizards to be a serious contender in the Eastern Conference.

“I think we're heavily slept-on,” he tells me. “Team's been to the playoffs, what, the last five, four or five years? Then going into this year, you add me, Dwight Howard, Jeff Green and nobody seems to talk about us. So I just think we're heavily slept-on, but that's fine. At the end of the day, nothing really matters until the season starts and we set that tone for ourselves. I get the hype of a couple of the other teams, but I think we have a chance to compete with the best of the East.”

Article Continues Below
More Washington Wizards News
Florida Gators guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) cuts the net after defeating the Houston Cougars in the national championship game of the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome.
Jazz, Wizards trade grades for 2025 NBA Draft dealRohan Brahmbhatt ·
Will Dawkins smiles next to basketball player silhouette wearing Wizards jersey
Washington Wizards’ perfect outcome for No. 6 pick in 2025 NBA DraftJoshua Valdez ·
New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (3) reacts to scoring his 50th point against the Washington Wizards during the second half at Smoothie King Center.
CJ McCollum’s hilarious first tweet since blockbuster Wizards trade goes viralAlex House ·
Will Dawkins and Michael Winger smile next to basketball player silhouette
Wizards rumors: 1 player Washington may trade up for in NBA DraftJoshua Valdez ·
New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (3) passes the ball against Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (13) during the second half at Smoothie King Center.
Pelicans, Wizards trade grades for Jordan Poole-CJ McCollum swapZachary Howell ·
New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum (3) reacts after scoring a basket during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center.
Pelicans, Wizards make CJ McCollum-Jordan Poole trade involving 4 playersBrett Siegel ·

The Wizards shipped center Marcin Gortat to the Los Angeles Clippers for the services of Rivers early this summer. To make up for the gaping hole that Gortat left, the team signed Howard and Green to shore up their frontcourt. While Howard is not the player he used to be when he donned the Orlando Magic jersey, he is still a walking double-double machine every night.

Rivers, who had his best scoring season last year, will back-up the Wizards' premier backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal. The Wizards made the playoff last year despite the fact that the injured Wall missed a huge chunk of the season.