From limited minutes to All-Star break explosion, Will Riley transformed his rookie season. Discover his surprising journey and future potential.
When the Wizards traded back three spots in the 2025 NBA Draft and selected Will Riley, there was a lot more unknown. What would his role look like in his rookie season? By the end of the year, the question became; where does he fit in next year's rotation?
Here's the year in review for one of Washington's most exciting players post All-Star Break.
The 20-year-old came into the league following winning the Big Ten's Six Man of the Year Award at Illinois. Still, questions around his frame made his rookie year projections tough. At 6'9, 180 pounds, Riley showed in his early opportunities that his ability to handle the basketball is extremely unique for his size.
Despite a strong showing in the preseason, Riley's time on the floor in the first half of the season was infrequent. Pre All-Star Break, Riley played just 16 minutes per game. That total jumped to 30.5 after the break.
Also, Riley utilized competition with the Capital City Go-Go as part of his development track. In three games played in the G-League, Riley largely overmatched his competition, averaging 26 points, five assists.
"Going into the season, I wouldn't say I had any really expectations, but I did have a lot of goals," Riley said in his exit interview. "I'd say a lot of my goals were based off of off the court actions, like how I treat people, how I get in the gym, how I gain weight, that type of stuff. That was a lot of my goals and I feel like I exceeded those, so that was good for me."
In his expanded role after the ASB, Riley's numbers jumped massively. After the break, he averaged 15.6 points, 2.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds. His craftiness with the basketball became an inevitable sight every night. As his confidence grew, so did his numbers.
I feel starting with the [G-League], it instilled a lot of confidence in me," Riley said. "I would say I have a lot of confidence in myself, but that definitely helped. Getting a feel for what it's like playing and being put in different positions and stuff like that, handling the ball. So that definitely helped me."
Riley's limitations still exist defensively due to his frame. One area of his game that needs improvement is to play defense with his body, as opposed to his arms. With his wingspan, he should hope to improve his steal numbers, which were 0.7 per game for the year.
Riley said he plans to work on his body in the offseason.
"I feel like this is like one of the best times to work on yourself outside of basketball when it comes to working on your body and stuff like that, because it's very hard to put on size and put on muscle during the season, playing a lot of minutes," Riley said.
In a crowded room of wings in Washington, Riley still has plenty of work to do, but closing the season with a great stretch, including back-to-back 30 point performances, certainly instills confidence going forward.
Riley may have even accelerated faster than the Wizards had expected at points. During a two-game stretch against the Indiana Pacers, Riley played a total of 16 minutes. In both games, he checked in briefly and scored multiple times instantly. Because the Wizards’ goals appeared to drop those games, Riley was benched for long stretches.
During his stretch of ascending play, general manager Will Dawkins said, “he’s really taken those steps like [Kyshawn George] did this part of the season last year.”
Dawkins added Riley has plenty of work to do, but he knows he’s not afraid to put in the necessary time.