WILL RILEY SCOUTING REPORT | 2025 NBA Draft | Washington Wizards | Illinois | Canada
will Riley might be the surprise of the 2025 NBA draft This is Florence Ceiling Let’s break him down Will Riley is likely to go between 15 and 25 but I think that he could end up returning top 10 value The Illinois freshman has very few flaws on offense although he doesn’t specialize in anything either This season he averaged about 13 points four rebounds two assists and one turnover per game Riley is tall and creative He can score He can pass He’s aggressive attacking the rim and capable off the bounce The only thing that Riley really lacks on offense is strength but in a massively significant way that I’m really grappling with Relatedly the 19-year-old is a non-defender by NBA standards Riley cannot guard any position or create any defensive events This is certainly worrying but if you’re buying the upside then you’re focusing on Riley as a wing-sized ball handler who can dribble pass and shoot while slotting across different positions and learning how to defend That would resemble Brandon Ingram On the other hand a lower-end outcome would mean Riley’s body and athleticism struggling in the NBA while he also fails to piece together his three-level tools That would be closer to a Bryce McGawan’s [Music] Riley does a lot of things but scoring will always be his bread and butter The main thing I love about him is his relentlessness He attacks defenses from all over the floor And even though his results are still mixed and relatively inefficient Riley never stops At this point his frame is still very slim at 186 lb This lack of strength really hinders Riley’s game in many ways and I consider it to be his swing skill above anything else Yet Riley is really aggressive having taken 124 shots at the rim and converting more than 61% That’s a sturdy number on very good volume and in my opinion with a clear avenue towards improvement I love Riley’s herkyjerky nature as a slasher His drives have a lot of moments where he stops then goes This is a great way to keep his defender guessing while offsetting his lack of strength and burst Riley understands how to use a ball screen He can chain moves together off the dribble and he has decent body control The Illinois prospect isn’t explosive but I think he’s a better athlete than credited for especially off two feet And hopefully Riley’s athleticism will be unlocked as he gets stronger That’s because the most important thing for Riley will be surviving against NBA level strength Otherwise I think that he’ll score at the basket For now though the 19-year-old lacks strength and balance Riley struggles to consistently get to his preferred spots as he gets bumped off his line too often This will become an even bigger issue going forward Sometimes Riley finds it challenging to even turn the corner Then he’s forced into spinning on a lot of his takes once defenders cut him off Here I wish that Riley’s spin could be harder and more violent in order to create more space The Canadian freshman plays tough but he can only do so much with his body even if he has put on some weight I think Riley’s rookie year will be difficult and teams will need to stay patient If they stay the course the upside is pretty fascinating Ultimately Riley is 6’9 with dribble pass and shoot skills and more upside to tap into I really believe in his offensive versatility and in an absolute best-case outcome he could be used one through four At the very least I’m confident that he’ll play the two and the three Riley lacks strength and twitch but he self-creates and scores off the dribble in spite of his limitations The Illinois prospect will do this using a ball screen or calling for an ISO The numbers on his jump shot will eventually have to improve from two and from three but I’m not discouraged The Canadian prospect has deep confident range and he needs little space to get into his shot Riley can drill threes from a standstill or after a hang dribble At the same time because he cannot get past defenders it sometimes feels like his shot diet features a lot of tough jumpers Riley also isn’t efficient right now having made 31% of his threes and 32% of his twos off the bounce but this is not to a worrying extent Riley has that spin which I mentioned as well as a crossover or a step back He’s smart about using up fakes and combining all of that with his fluidity and pace makes him tough to read in the mid-range I love how Riley uses his off arm to create space without fouling The Illinois prospect decelerates with intriguing flexibility before rising back up on balance into his pull-up Watch him on these clips and you’ll see that his knee is almost hitting the floor sometimes Riley’s overall profile really reminds me of Brandon Ingram but the way that he moves is reminiscent of Shay Gilis Alexander At his best Riley is playing around the elbows without needing more than three dribbles to get into his move Illinois let him go to work this season and I thought that the bright spots looked like a lottery pick Like I’ve been saying Riley’s strength and balance are critical His lower body is sort of the tell on whether his jumper will go in or not But other than that I love how Riley’s upper body mechanics look and I appreciate his range willingness and release point Adding muscle will help him create space more often A lot of Riley’s tougher pull-ups come when he can’t beat his man off the dribble leading to fallaways from tricky angles I’ll add here that Riley is tall at about 6’9 in shoes but he’s not long with a wingspan right under that I don’t think this matters exceedingly with his jumper but it matters with his space creation as opposed to his shot I think what Riley lacks range with are his steps and his handle The 19-year-old can make these harder pull-ups but he cannot become overly reliant on them Riley’s on ball potential isn’t complete without discussing his passing The numbers are quite good even if they’re not flashy Riley’s 1.9 assist to turnover ratio stands out to me the most He had 78 assists to 42 turnovers this season and the tape backs up what the stats imply Riley’s scoring is well established but he’s a very functional facilitator as well Broadly Riley has two types of passes The first way that he playmakes is on the drive which leverages his scoring as a slasher This will usually mean a strong side kick out to three or perhaps a drop off pass in the paint with some more flash When Riley does either of these things he likes to get a deep paint touch and then wrap his pass behind the defense Similarly Riley can also use his size to see over the defense and deliver a skip pass or similar The second way is in the pick and roll Riley is not an advanced passer but he executes safe accurate reads while making the most of his strengths Broadly speaking Riley does a good job at reading when two defenders go on the ball He can make a quick decision from there often keeping things ticking as opposed to hitting the home run Still when Riley reads the nail help beats the helper or leaves his feet he does flash more manipulation Looking ahead on top of his strength Riley needs to keep developing his handle but both are pretty connected He still gets stumped by defenders and most of his turnovers come when he’s on the ball rather than looking to move it on Dealing with contact is tough for Riley in college so it will be even tougher in the NBA His handle gets cut off by contact And as I’ve been saying throughout this video he can’t always get past his defender which is when some avoidable turnovers happen Generally speaking though I’m quite high on Riley’s passing The same also goes for his scoring and for his handle/body control But if he’s not strong enough to stay on the floor he won’t be able to maximize or maybe even use these tools I’m optimistic that Riley will get there but it will take time More than his turnovers I’m concerned about Riley reducing his touches when he cannot create the immediate advantage The Illinois playmaker is prone to taking too long on the ball without an end result Fortunately I’m a real believer in Riley’s ability to toggle between playing on and off the ball In turn his passing only has to come in a supportive capacity to meet his floor which I think he’s shown enough feel for Riley will need to take a big leap but I expect him to take season to season steps with his playmaking Sticking to Riley off the ball he’s a decent spot-up shooter but he needs to keep improving At Illinois he made 33% of his catch and shoot threes on 31 makes and 93 attempts Here Riley’s balance is important yet again with how he gets into his threes and most of all lands back down Thinking about the NBA I’m particularly curious to see whether Riley will make strides as a movement shooter We saw some signs this season but not enough for me to buy into Before anything else though he’ll need to drill his easier spot up threes This year Riley only converted 29% of his unguarded triples Wrapping up I really like Riley’s activity off the ball He’s not an awesome spot-up shooter but he’s okay And I think that adding in his cutting and stacking all of that on top of his overall scoring makes him a dangerous offensive weapon Riley’s numbers as a cutter were strong at Illinois and I’d like to see him be used even more in this capacity The 19-year-old developed a nice chemistry with Tommy Slavis often scoring out of assertive given goes Riley understands how to play off two feet and he has funky body manipulation at 6’9 Like with the rest of his scoring Riley needs to bulk up and play with more contact But really all of this speaks to his versatility on offense Riley can ISO run pick and rolls spot up cut set others up So even with his current limitations he has many avenues to success Will Riley is currently a non-defender at the NBA level He’s entirely a one-sided player so his evaluation here is very simple The numbers and the tape reflect as much Starting with the former Riley only had 10 blocks and nine steals in 35 games The advanced stats are poor as well with a 1% block rate and a 0.6% steel rate This is unacceptable and it’s not harsh to say Although I will add that Riley’s on and off the court numbers were not that impactful for Illinois On the ball the Canadian does not add any defensive value against players with his own height Riley easily gives up weight and strength He gets moved on drives and offers very little resistance Sometimes Riley can stay in front and use his height to smother the drive or maybe get a block but this is very rare [Music] On top of the strength Riley also lacks positional length He does not have the tools to recover which is what he almost always needs to do Riley isn’t twitchy enough against quick players and he cannot get low to the ground on defense I genuinely buy that Riley could attack one through four in his highest end outcome but on defense he cannot guard any position right now Down the line if Riley is able to defend anyone to any extent I think it will be wings off the ball The story is similar The Illinois prospect doesn’t create plays either Riley doesn’t produce as the low man He’s not active in the passing lanes And really he’s barely felt on defense At 6’9 with good feel this really should not be the case At this juncture Riley is a total defensive non-factor but I believe that defense can be learned in the NBA The background on his coachability checks out excellently and he’ll likely have just about enough size as long as he bulks up to a passable level
Will Riley will be the next #Canada player to be drafted into the #NBA. His 2025 #nbadraft range looks to be from No. 15-25, but the Illinois wing might return top 10 value.
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Credit:
– “World War Outerspace” – Audio Hertz
– NCAA
– ESPN
– CW
– TNT
– ABC
– Peacock
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Chapters:
00:14 PLAYER OVERVIEW
1:40 DRIVING
4:20 PULL-UP
7:40 PASSING
11:00 OFF-BALL
12:50 DEFENSE
15:00 TAKEAWAY
16 Comments
im scared of how early he's gonna go. 6'9" that can dribble pass shoot and create his own shot doesn't grow on trees. if you can get him in a strength and conditioning program sky could be the limit. did he have any growth spurts recently (adjusting to new body) or just struggles to put on weight?
Will riley has intrigued me since HS (he's top 20 on my board). He's 6'9 (big wing), is more mobile and athlete than given credit for (i think the verdict is that he's a below average athlete, which i think he's slightly more above.) He's a skilled wing that can pass dribble and shoot, herky jerky self creation. He's a dynamic ball handler. He'll go off either foot, has a devastating spin move and crossover, and like you said, i almost felt like i was watching some of SGA's body control. In his high school tape, i was surprised on how skilled he is at creating his own shot. He keeps going and going, never stopping his aggressiveness even when he meets contact. He's got pace, knows how to leverage his body in order to get to the rim. He's not going to blow by his man, but he has all types of counters to free himself up. He struggles to get to his spots in the halfcourt due to the lack of pop and strength. There will be times where he CAN get by his defender, although turning the corner can be an adventure. I'm not too worried about the strength, since that can be developed in an NBA program. He's got an unorthodox floater where when he's in the middle of a move, he'll surprise the defender by taking the shot all of a sudden, and his deceleration takes defenders off guard and creates space for him in the mid range. However, his finishing numbers were pretty bad. He initiates contact, insn't scared and he's got touch with floaters, and with either hand, but despite that contact makes his touch and his handle falter. He'll lose the ball if hes pressured hard, and at the rim since he lacks pop, he can't really offset anything. He's a solid athlete off 2. Defenders can smother him in the paint if he dosent have time to go off of two, but the flashes were excellent, knows how to stop on a dime and use fakes to get his man up in the air and finish. He also can go off either foot at any time, nice pickups to shield the ball from the defense, left hand right foot left hand left foot, etc. Once he adds strength, his skill in finishing can shine even more. Because of the lack of physical burst and strength, he ends up settling into a lot of tough jumpers, which he definently can't rely on at the next level. He's got a solid looking stroke (really like his rhythm when everything connects like his balance), but sometimes he lets his form go when heavily contested from 3, and he needs to be a better spot up shooter (i'll clarify that he's not bad, just average and okay.) Off the dribble, he dosen't create much space, but he can pull up from any spot on the floor and convert. he likes a step back, bump, hang dribble, etc. In the mid range he uses subtle off hand placements to disrupt the defender, and he's got a lot of creativity. Using his size he can rise over defenders with his soft touch. He's a good passer in my book. He's not an elite passer, but he's a good one. he can drive in the paint, dump it off, move it in the middle, make kickouts, and more importantly i feel like when he gets too deep that's when he starts to use his eyes to trick the defense, just whipping the ball behind him or in front for an easy layup. In the pick and roll, i'm confident in his projection. He can hit a basic pocket pass, immediately recognizes when he's being doubled and hits the open man. He's had some nice skips, too. He won't be asked to do much as a passer, so this shouldn't be too hard for him. He needs to tighten up his handle more, lost it sometimes when he got bumped, or just when he did too much. I felt like the offense stopped sometimes because he was always trying to get a look. On defense, well, it's terrible. He lacks strength, isn't physical, and dosen't display any sort of defensive playmaking. His height can get a hand on a jumper sometimes, but that's about it. Guards roast him off the dribble, and his feet are too slow. Players his size get physical and just bully their way to the rim with little resistance. Off the ball, he loses track of his man, and he cannot keep up with actions. He'll die on screens, and has to recover every posession he's guarding on the ball. Defense can be learned though, and with less responsibility, i trust that it'll get better. He is a complete no show on defense, literally invisible. He does absolutely nothing on defense. I'll mention that his lack of balance, despite his physicality on offense, can be a factor in him losing the ball. In high school he had a lot of moves with his handle but even then he got too careless vs physicality.
If he were left-handed I would say that we are looking at a young, and much more raw, Manu Ginobili.
Canadians are notorious late bloomers, so expect him to come around in the 2030's. By then he may have beefed up some and learned to play defense. Wow is he a bad defender. He will get picked on. I see him fading from sight soon and maybe spending some time in the G league then Toronto will scoop him up in some trade and turn him into a solid starter. Wasn't I promise a Raynaud Video btw?
This is one of the fairest evaluations I've seen on YouTube. I think a lot of the videos that talked about Riley only looked at stats, not his progression as a player. Riley played limited minutes from the bench early in the season. Rather than sulk, he worked on himself. He gained weight and muscle. He improved his spacing on offense and better recognized passing lanes to get himself open. Riley, at the end of the year, was a much more assertive player. He didn't shy away from contact. He's coachable. That's important because he will need time to develop physically before his career really gets started. When the NBA looks at young players, they want to see an upward trajectory. That's what Will Riley showed.
Riley is an inconsistent player with areas for improvement such as his shooting and especially his defense, but he strikes me as one of the players in the draft with the most room for improvement.
I like those details that sometimes remind me of Ginobili and sometimes of Shai, that ability to create space for himself when everything seems lost.
I think the team that bets on him and is not in a hurry, will not regret it in a couple of seasons.
Could be a top 10 talent in this draft??? 😐 cmon lol. NO defense, inconsistency on all 3 levels on offense, very low iq on both sides, slow, minimal handle.. idk
I have bunch of rough comps in my report on Riley (Kevin Martin, Kevin Huerter, Max Christie, BJ Boston, Kyshawn George, Cleanthony Early) but I think Emoni Bates is the most realistic comp, clearly talented for their height but the body (both weight wise and wingspan wise) holds them back at the NBA level.
Wiz just drafted him at 21 🙀
Damn you called it
Welcome to Washington
Will Riley is from my hometown. Great job making the NBA dude.
I wish he was a PG
Wizards fans what we thinking?
Welcome to DC! This is a really promising pick for the Wizards. He looks like a tall guard who plays at his own pace. I actually think he had lottery potential if he'd returned for one more year. With some added weight, he's got all the tools to develop into one of the best players from this draft class by the end of his rookie deal.
My Bullets just drafted Will Riley and Tre Johnson, and we picked up Alex Sarr last year. If we can surround these young guys with a few solid vets—oh my goodness—watch out! The Bullets might be a real sleeper team.