Wizards Rookie Will Riley Leads Washington to Win Against Pistons

The 2025 NBA Draft class continues to impress as the 2025-26 season continues.

The likes of Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and VJ Edgecombe, among others, have shined in their first year, while other players throughout the class have also had solid rookie seasons.

On Thursday, one of the Washington Wizards' first-round selections from last summer led the team to a win against the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference. Will Riley scored a team-high 20 points as the Wizards defeated the Detroit Pistons 126-117.

The rookie shot 9-of-14 from the field, 2-of-5 from 3-point range and 0-of-3 from the free throw line, also chipping in 6 rebounds, 5 assists, two steals and zero turnovers in 29 minutes off the bench.

Will Riley 20-6-5-2 (9/14 FG), +13 pic.twitter.com/lIOb3gdBpe
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) February 6, 2026

Riley's performance against Detroit marked a new career-high in points, and continued a solid stretch for the young wing player.

The former Fighting Illini standout has reached double figures in each of his last four games, averaging 17 points, 5 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.8 steals over the span while shooting 45.5% from the field and 44% from 3-point range.

Riley, who turns 20-years-old in February, was selected with the No. 21 pick in the 2025 draft after averaging 12.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game at Illinois.

In his first year with Washington, the Canadian-born wing is averaging 6.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 42.1% from the field and 32.3% from beyond the arc. Listed at 6-foot-9 and 180 pounds, the Wizards' rookie has good size on the wing, but needs to continue filling out his frame and add strength to be more impactful on both sides of the ball.

As Washington continues to explore its roster throughout the back half of the NBA season, Riley should get more opportunity. The Wizards recently traded for former All-NBA honorees Trae Young and Anthony Davis, meaning the team could be competitive next year who the duo is set to be in the lineup.

If the team is competing for a spot in the postseason during 2026-27, Riley will need to continue to improve and show flashes for the remainder of this season and during the summer league to earn a significant spot in the rotation.

The Wizards have a number of other young players on the roster who could be in line to see the floor in coming seasons, including Tre Johnson, Kyshawn George, Alex Sarr and others.

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