The Washington Wizards selected Will Riley with the No. 21 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft after trading the No. 18 overall pick (Walter Clayton Jr.) to the Utah Jazz in exchange for the No. 21 overall pick, No. 43 overall pick and two future second round picks.
Washington started the night off with a slight disappointment by selecting Tre Johnson with the No. 6 overall pick.
Landing Johnson in general isn’t disappointing, but instead it's due to the fact that Ace Bailey was essentially dangled in front of Washington by being available at No. 5 overall just one pick in front of them.
From potentially standing firm at No. 6 and landing their top target on the board in Bailey to being forced to pivot to Johnson just goes to show how bad the Wizards luck has been over the last couple of months.
Nonetheless, Washington got the chance to add to their draft class by selecting an underrated talent at No. 21.
When Bailey seemed like the eventual pick for the Wizards, it was clear that Washington would be landing a high-potential wing in the frontcourt. When that didn’t happen, the need to land one remained.
General manager Will Dawkins did exactly that by taking a swing on Riley, who many feel have all the potential to develop into one of the biggest steals in this draft clas.
Riley impressed in mostly a bench role this past season at Illinois, averaging 12.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
The 6-foot-8 forward is an underrated shooter, drilling 43.2% of his field goal attempts and although he only shot 32.6% from beyond the arc, the upside for him to develop his range from deep is there.
Landing in Washington may arguably have been the best fit in the entire draft for Riley who needs time to develop.
Positioning the wing to get extended play in year one under Brian Keefe will likely prove to be very beneficial for his future in the league and with all the tools to succeed, he’s the perfect high-upside swing the Wizards needed to take in the back half of the first.
Not to mention, Washington may have landed an additional pick in tomorrow’s second round and two future seconds for the player they were coveting all along at No. 18.
The Wizards now leave night one of the NBA Draft with Tre Johnson and Will Riley as their newest members.