Will Riley Is Becoming a Diamond in the Rough for Wizards

The season for the Wizards has brought injuries, big trades, and plenty of losses. But most importantly, it’s all leading to player development.

This development remains at the center of the Wizards’ rebuilding plan, using the draft to find players who will be a part of their future. Lately, one of those young contributors, Will Riley, has become a pleasant surprise for the Wizards.

Drafted late in the first round, Riley spent time going back and forth between the Wizards roster and the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s G-League affiliate team. With injuries piling up on the Wizards, Riley continues to get more opportunities to play and shine.

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Will Riley’s Recent Big Games

After playing sparingly to start the season, Will Riley’s time on the court and production are both up recently.

As of Wednesday, Riley is averaging over 14 points per game in March. That’s around double what his averages were in January and February. During this month, he is also shooting 34.4% from the three-point line. 

This scoring barrage included back-to-back 21-point games against the Golden State Warriors and Detroit Pistons.

In fact, three of his five highest-scoring games this season came in March.

How Riley Is Developing

To help his development, the Wizards are playing Will Riley at multiple positions.

Basketball-Reference has Riley listed as a small forward. But at times, Head Coach Brian Keefe is playing Riley as a backup point guard in lineups to give him looks as a playmaker. At 6-foot-9, Riley’s size and patience allow him to see over defenses to make the right play. His footwork is already very advanced for a rookie. He uses many different pivot moves to get to his shot, especially when going to the basket.

Riley has played a few games in the G-League as well where, in a limited sample size, he produced.

In two games, he averaged 28 points with the Capital City Go-Go. There he took full advantage of all his opportunities to play and get better.

The Wizards and Go-Go are very in sync with their development programs. Keefe has said the Wizards and Go-Go run the same plays. The G-League players are usually called up and play with the Wizards. This gives the players a chance to apply what they learned with the Go-Go and use it in a live NBA game.

The development process with the franchise continues to be the focal point for Washington, and Will Riley is proving that he is in the right place for his career.

With the way the development is going so far, it looks like Riley has a good chance to be a big-time talent for the Wizards.