Going back to his freshman season at Illinois, it has felt like second-year playmaker Will Riley was a bit overshadowed.
Whether that be next to Bucks Guard Kasparas Jakucionis in his lone season in college, Tre Johnson, Kyshawn George, and Alex Sarr in his rookie season, or now on the summer league team next to No.1 overall pick AJ Dybantsa, the headlines thus far in Riley’s career haven’t been about him.
However, this is where he has thrived, with the latest example being his 32-point outburst on Sunday night against the Sacramento Kings, showcasing that, despite the loaded Forward room the Wizards have, Riley has to be a fixture in the rotation in the 2026-27 season.
Will Riley is too good to be an afterthought
Newcomers to the team like Top 75 big Anthony Davis, 4-time All-Star Trae Young, face of the franchise AJ Dybantsa, along with promising 3rd-year center Alex Sarr, may steal the headlines, but players like Will Riley are necessary to the operation if you want to compete at a high level.
From what he showed in the 2nd half of both summer league games so far to the massive jump he made in the back half of his rookie campaign, Riley’s unorthodox style of play for someone his size at 6’ 9" makes him an essential part of the team.
His shifty and crafty footwork with the ball in his hands, ability to score at all three levels (9-14 FG,6-8 3PT) while showing he can be an effective playmaker as well, make it foolish to exclude the talented 20-year-old from the discussion about how special the Wizards can be.
Will can fit into any role
Aside from his obvious talent that makes him versatile all over the court, it seems that in his career thus far, Will Riley is adaptable to how big or small a role you need him to play in the context of a team.
He’s not someone whom you’ll need to allocate 25+ minutes to, or you risk losing him; instead, his talent will demand that he play that given night.
No matter if the Wizards will need an extra ball handler, shooter, finisher at the rim, or just size on the floor, Riley can play all roles and will flourish when given the opportunity as the most flexible member of not only the young Wizards core, but the team in general.
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