The Washington Wizards have publicly struggled like few other NBA squads through the first few weeks of the regular season. Some of the prospects have shown impressive glimpses, with developing pillars like Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George even offering star upside. Still, they’ve, by and large, disappointed in playing productive basketball as a unit.
But below decks, one of their less-heralded prospects has quietly begun to bloom.
High-end lottery picks like Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly are more foundational pieces of the rebuild, having solidified themselves as opportunity-deserving draftees immediately upon landing in DC, but they’re far from the only youngsters on the front office’s plate. Will Riley, the Wizards’ second first-round pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, has strung together some noteworthy performances with the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s G League affiliate.
Squeezed Away from the Starters
He’s been one of the most tragic victims of the Wizards’ rotational log-jam, having yet to prove himself worthy of stealing minutes over any of the team’s other big-league wings. Khris Middleton and Corey Kispert remain vital outside of improving their own asset values, having offered crucial off-ball contributions and professional scoring, while Coulibaly, George and Cam Whitmore have a lot more pressing potential to offer the Wizards’ current iteration.
Nov 21, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Will Riley (27) of the Washington Wizards dribbles against Ja’Kobe Walter (14) of the Toronto Raptors during the second half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images | Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Riley has instead persisted as the odd-man out, never cracking a consistent minute load for a 2-16 team. That’s not to say that he was a waste of a pick or anything; he was brought in for his positional versatility, making a name for himself at Illinois as an award-winning scorer who’s still growing into his 6-foot-10 frame, and he’s demonstrated an ability to float between various roles on offense.
He’s been mostly relegated to a spot-up guy across his seven minutes per game, where he’s at times looked comfortable shooting and making a play for himself, attacking closeouts. The rest of the game hasn’t been made readily available to the eyes of Wizards fans since he was drafted, though, and he’s used his trips down to the G League to flex his full arsenal.
The 19-year-old scored 36 points to cap November off, and he looked like a completely different player as a go-to option. He was able to leverage defenders in the pick-and-roll to create looks at the rim, get to his spots off of the dribble and rise up to shoot with comfort. His frame, once tagged as “frail,” held up against interior defenders, and he even produced some noteworthy perimeter defense with a steal that he flipped into a transition opportunity for himself.
36 PTS 💥 5 REB 💥 6 AST 💥 14/24 FG
Will Riley continues to DOMINATE for the @capitalcitygogo! The 2025 NBA first round pick scored a game-high and is averaging 26.0 PPG in his first three games. pic.twitter.com/ZlCzbFDZiZ
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) November 30, 2025Riley’s Ascension Into Present-Day Priority
This was no fluke for Riley, who’s averaging 26 points per outing in three runs with the Go-Go. And as they made clear, Washington’s executives are closely monitoring how their developmental prospects are attempting to remain ready for their respective opportunities.
The young wing isn’t just a long-term swing, either; he’s worth a regular dosage of priority minutes now. Kyshawn George and CJ McCollum will still maintain the lion’s share of on-ball reps, but Riley’s worth throwing a few possessions to as a rotational backup. Bub Carrington‘s wildly fluctuating in trying to find his rhythm this season, and though Riley didn’t cost nearly as much to bring aboard, a different look certainly couldn’t hurt the two-win squad.
He’s worth more attention than he’s received from the fan base, a likely byproduct of the sheer amount of talented pieces lining their depth, and he’d be better off parlaying his momentum into minutes with the official Wizards over blowing away fringe big-leaguers.