With increased court time, Will Riley is transforming opportunities into consistent scoring and efficient play, showcasing his breakout potential.
When Will Riley was asked what led to his recent offensive outputs, he said everything was "just flowing."
For the former first-round pick, this part of the season has done him wonders. As bumps and bruises pile up for the plethora of young wings Washington boasts, Riley finds himself on the floor much more. He's not just out there getting reps; he's breaking out.
Riley put together another 21-point outing on Tuesday, doing so at an efficient 7/13 clip. The Canadian product has scored 20 or more five times in his young career. His performance against Detroit became the second-time in his career that he scored 20 or more in back-to-back games.
Riley's rise in recent weeks hasn't gone unnoticed. The Wizards aren't focused on the results right now -- the process enamors them. They've lost 13 games in a row, but Riley's strides continue to be a bright spot.
Since the All-Star break, Riley has averaged 14.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. His scoring has been rather efficient as well, shooting 48% from the field. Additionally, as a member of the starting lineup, he's averaging 16 points and shooting over 41% from three.
Riley said playing with Trae Young creates a positive impact on his game. He said watching and learning the way he plays and carries himself has helped him grow as a player. One example Riley offered was making reads of ball screens and navigating himself offensively.
Since the break, Riley has played 440 minutes, which is the most on the team. Plenty of Washington's more proven commodities, including Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Young, and Justin Champagnie, have played limited minutes. Plenty of this is due to injuries, but Champagnie has received multiple DNPs.
"I've been able to work on different things in the game," Riley said. "Getting good game reps has been good for me."
Riley playing as well as he is will intensify the competition at his position this offseason and into next year. With a position group already consisting of Bilal Coulibaly, George, Cam Whitmore, and Champagnie, there's a lot of talent with not a lot of minutes to go around.
Wizards general manager Will Dawkins is a fan of competition in the preseason. Before the 2025 season, he preached that the organization would function as a complete meritocracy, and that minutes would be "earned, not given." Riley didn't play tons in the early portion of the season, but dominant stints with the Capital City Go-Go and new doors opening up following the deadline, his time to showcase his skills finally arrived.
He's really taken those steps like [Kyshawn George] did this part of the season last year," Dawkins said. "He's got a lot of work to do, but he's going to have to keep putting that time in -- and good thing about [Riley] is he's not afraid of that."
Where Riley slots in will be an interesting development. Washington hopes to pick at the top of the upcoming draft. BYU wing AJ Dybantsa is mocked as a top-two prospect on most boards, so if he's the pick, the competition tightens up even more.
"I just take it one game at a time," Riley said. "I don't really look too far ahead...just working in the gym with my coaches and stuff like that, watching film with my trainers at home; that type of stuff has been helping me a lot."
The weight room will be Riley's best friend. At his frame, he has some limitations on the defensive end currently. However, standing at nearly 6'10, the potential on that end exists.
"That's been the main thing I've been trying to improve on," Riley said. "That's going to come with time, and size, that type of stuff...just trying to be as aggressive and physical as I can with the body I have now."
"Body I have now" stands out in that quote. Riley's continued flourish is a great jolt for his confidence as a player, but he understands he has a long way to go.
"I feel like there's so much more for me to improve on. I'm nowhere near the player I want to be," Riley said.