Will Riley Proves Why He's "Offensive Sponge" In Wizards Rotation

Summer League is already over with attention shifting toward the Washington Wizards finalizing the pieces for the upcoming 2026-27 regular season. While the new starpower have anchored the offseason spotlight with the debate focused on who will become the fifth starter alongside Trae Young, AJ Dybantsa, Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr, it overlooks the new strength on the roster: quality in the rotation.

Will Riley is a big part of that identity after the former first round pick out of Illinois proved to be the spark of the second half of the 2025-26 regular season. Despite his 6-foot-9 frame fitting the profile of a wing, Riley proved to be a dynamic, versatile piece in Washington's offense after he split time between the Wizards and Capital City Go-Go, the team's G League affiliate, to begin the year.

Riley would be the one to capitalize on expanded minutes that became available along a growing list of unavailable players as the rookie averaged at least 14 points in each of the last three months of the regular season. That came with eight games with at least 20 points, including a pair of 30-point performances, over the final five weeks to offer growing optimism for what year two can offer.

Yet the versatility is what would flash as a rookie before being able to expand on his role in Summer League as head coach T.J. Sorrentine featured Riley on the ball during his two games, perhaps a glimpse into what an expanded year two role could look like. Yet after also adding nearly 15 pounds from when he first arrived in the NBA, Riley reiterated defense has been an area of focus with the team clearly committed to showcasing their improvements in Summer League after a dreadful 2025-26 season that ended with the Wizards in dire need of attention to that end of the floor.

Still, Sorrentine sees the impact that Riley offers offensively after calling him "an offensive sponge."

"He just finds a way to put the ball in the basket. His shooting obviously showed he’s putting a lot of time into his 3-point shot. So, I was proud that that showed,” Sorrentine added.

Riley will now look be a key cog on a Wizards' roster now focused on efforts to return to the postseason for the first time since 2020-21, whether he materializes into the fifth starter or spark in what's expected to be a strong second unit featuring Bub Carrington, Justin Champagnie, Deandre Ayton and whoever doesn't start between Kyshawn George, Tre Johnson, Riley and Bilal Coulibaly. With a chance to also play on the ball, how big a leap Riley takes in year two could be answered by his growing role along the roster.

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