Will Riley is quietly forcing his way into a league-wide conversation

The Washington Wizards have become a major talking point around the NBA over the last couple months.

Not only has the tanking team put themselves in position to land yet another top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but their flurry of blockbuster moves ahead of the NBA trade deadline to form a superstar duo built around Trae Young and Anthony Davis alone changed the perspective of the organization in the blink of an eyes

And that's not even factoring in the young talent Washington already has on the roster with the likes of Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Bilal Coulibaly and Bub Carrington already coming to mind.

Looking back at the team's most recent rookie draft class, there's a lot to like in regards to the talent Washington added over the offseason.

Obviously, reigning No. 6 overall pick Tre Johnson comes to mind when talking about the prospects the Wizards added in the 2025 NBA Draft.

However, with the recent developments across the league, Washington's most overlooked draft addition, Will Riley, is putting himself in position to be one of the biggest steals of not only the Wizards' draft class, but the entire class as a whole.

Will Riley is on a tear

The Wizards have seen plenty of flashes from Riley throughout the season on both the Capital City Go-Go's roster and Washington's active roster.

Riley's flashes led to head coach Brian Keefe's increase in trust and with the team battling injuries down the stretch over the last couple months, the Illinois product has received extended opportunities and to say he's seized the moment would be an understatement.

The former No. 21 overall pick has been on a tear as of late, averaging 14.6 points on 47% shooting from field goal range and 37.5% from beyond the arc through the month of February an 15.0 points with shooting splits of 45.5% from field goal range and 36.4% from three through the start of March.

Riley is outplaying players selected before him

As shown in the above post, Riley has put together one of the most dominant stretches of any rookie over the last couple months, and that includes the likes of players like VJ Edgecombe, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper.

Obviously, injuries have scewed the stats a bit, especially when considering names like Cooper Flagg.

Still, the fact that Riley find himself on that list alone says a lot about the success he's found through the start of his season.

All that to say, when you look back on the biggest steals of the 2025 NBA Draft, there's no doubt that Riley will be on that list.