Will Riley: Oh Canada
Riley played a key role as the lead off-ball shooter for an Illinois team loaded with talent. Does he warrant a lottery pick?
Riley is the standout Canadian prospect in this year's class, and he certainly lived up to the expectations as Illinois' top wing player. He played a key role in leading the Fighting Illini through a solid season, which unfortunately wrapped up with a second-round NCAA Tournament loss to Kentucky. A natural athlete, Riley hails from a competitive family, with his father, Ray Riley, being known as one of the best track coaches in Canada. You can see that athletic lineage in Will's smooth movements, coordination, and overall feel for the game. Coming into college as the highest-ranked prospect in Illinois basketball history, Riley quickly caught the eye of scouts who were impressed by his impressive shot-making skills at 6'8". What sets him apart is his calm demeanor and ability to play as a secondary playmaker, which helps him read defenses, create opportunities for his teammates, and shine in crucial moments. His versatility and maturity (especially at his age, as he reclassed up to the class of ‘24) had him pegged as a potential first-round pick even before the season kicked off, and he’s only strengthened that reputation since then. Are all these skills enough to keep his draft projection? Here’s what Riley can bring to an NBA team.
Basic Stats (2024-2025): 25.6 MPG, 12.6 PPG, 2.2 APG, 4.1 RPG, 0.3 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 1.2 TO, 43.2% FG
PROS
Good shooter, especially for his position and height (45th %tile PPS Rating on Jumpers)
While the numbers aren’t great right now for him, he displays a lot of range with a quick motion. Considering that he is a ‘25 reclass, I see this developing fairly quickly over the off-season and throughout his rookie campaign.
Also rises up very quickly, allowing him to use his leverage effectively for mid-range pull-up jumpers
While he isn’t quick with the ball and doesn’t have elite space generation with his dribbles, he protects the ball well using his body to protect the ball, keeping it out of the defenders reach
Using his body to protect the ball, keeping it out of the defenders reach
To generate space, he moreso uses his footwork and body control (bumps and positioning) to get looks for himself instead of firing off dribble moves
As a player with potential as the secondary ball-handler, who won’t get many dribbles to get his stuff off, this skill is going to be very instrumental in his future
Pretty crafty scorer
Like I mentioned above, he can get space without having to put much effort into his dribble, exhibiting excellent footwork.
Likes to initiate contact to get his leverage, trying to get his defenders off-balance, and uses this tool well to shoot over defenders
Utilizes this skillset well in isolation, takes long steps to get space
Pushes tempo in transition well, can pass up the court as the outlet man or take the ball and try to make a play (35th %tile PPP Rating for Transition Possessions)
As a scorer, he is just above average. Mainly uses these transition opportunities to get to the line rather than finishing through the play.
Decent vision with decent passing ability (68th %tile PP(P+A) Rating for Possessions and Assists)
Not gonna be someone who drives out the defense and kicks it out to the perimeter, but he is a good passer in transition and can make the extra pass.
Aggressive rebounder when he wants to be, which isn’t frequent
Grades out pretty solid defensively, and the height will give him positional versatility on the defensive end of the floor (76th %tile PPP Rating on All Possessions)
CONS
Not the quickest player, takes a lot to build up momentum to get to his top speed when driving
Not a lot of athleticism to his game, and his physicals are ok
Not quick, doesn’t have a lot of vertical leap, and his wingspan is 6’6”.
Very hard to find an NBA player with that type of height but with that short of a wingspan.
This isn’t a knock necessarily, as he gets it done on the defensive end, but it is just something of note.
While many argue that his height gives him positional versatility, I completely disagree for one simple reason: physical ability
When it comes to watching his defense on tape, it’s not great. He doesn’t have the aggressiveness or quickness to stay in front of his man, and doesn’t have the length to put up good contests. He merely lucks out on a lot of the possessions with misses, and even then, some of those misses aren’t because of him
Not great at the rim; doesn’t display the same craftiness he has from range at the rim, and doesn’t display a lot of physicality either. Not an above the rim finisher either. Grades out decently, but has room to be a lot better (66th %tile PPS Rating for Shots at the Rim)
Needs to navigate ball screens better defensively (38th %tile PPP Rating as the point of attack defender on ball screens)
Routinely gets screened out of plays, giving easy situations for the ball handler to navigate
Bites on pump fakes hard and frequently. Discipline will take some time to develop, but considering how young he is, it may be something a team is willing to wait on or work on.
Final Take: A skilled shooter with solid footwork and body control who uses leverage effectively to create space, but limited athleticism, short wingspan, and defensive struggles raise concerns about his versatility and ceiling at the next level.
Draft Projection: Late 1st to Mid 2nd Round.
Player Comp: Evan Fournier; skilled shooter and scorer who doesn’t have a ton of athleticism but doesn’t need it.