Illinois Basketball's Will Riley Slipping in Latest ESPN NBA Mock Draft

Riley is projected to go to the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder with the 24th pick in ESPN's updated mock

Nov 28, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Will Riley (7) drives around Arkansas Razorbacks guard Boogie Fland (2) during the second half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

In initial mock drafts following the pre-draft combine, there seemed to be a slim chance of Illinois’ Will Riley sneaking into the lottery as a top-14 pick.

After making fitful but significant progress throughout his freshman season, Riley moved into the starting lineup over the final weeks and played an influential role in the Illini winning an NCAA Tournament game over Xavier, pouring in 22 points.

Then, at the draft combine in Chicago, Riley’s solid physical measurements – which included an inch of growth over the past year – helped him climb further up mock drafts.

But in a bit of a surprise, Riley slipped all the way to No. 24 in ESPN’s latest mock, which has him projected to go to the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who have the pick by way of the Los Angeles Clippers.

ESPN draft guru Jeremy Woo expects the Thunder to likely ship their pick elsewhere, but he ultimately views Riley falling to this spot. It's worth noting that Woo mentioned Brooklyn, Atlanta and New Orleans as potential landing spots – all three of which pick ahead of No. 24.

The usual scouting report still applies to Riley: tremendous potential and upside, but his physical frame and defensive limitations must be improved upon before he can play a significant role, or even get the opportunity to fully develop the rest of his game, at the next level.

Canadian Will Riley shooting off the dribble at the NBA Draft Combine.

Real pure scorer. He hit 26 out of 30 for 86.7%. pic.twitter.com/6YnEM5HGy4

— Libaan Osman (@libaanstar1) May 13, 2025

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