Wizards take Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year at No. 21

The Big Ten’s Sixth Man of the Year as a freshman in 2024-25, Riley scored 12.6 points per game on .432/.326/.724 shooting while also contributing 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 25.7 minutes per contest.

Riley, a native of Kitchener, Ontario in Canada, has a relatively thin frame and “lacks a degree of burst and physicality,” writes Jonathan Givony of ESPN. However, he has good height (6-foot-8) for a wing and has shown legitimate potential as a scorer and play-maker.

Riley was selected one spot after his former Fighting Illini teammate Kasparas Jakucionis, who went to Miami at No. 20.

Washington was able to get assets in the deal with Utah and still land a player who is high on its draft board. Jake Fischer of The Stein Line heard there was “plenty of buzz” about the Wizards taking Riley at No. 18 if they had stayed there.

Washington is parting with small forward Saddiq Bey in a trade with New Orleans, and Khris Middleton isn’t guaranteed to stay on the roster after exercising his player option, which gives him a $33.3M expiring contract. There could be a chance for Riley to earn regular minutes right away.

With two first-round picks Wednesday, plus three last year and a mid-season trade for AJ Johnson, Washington has put together a roster that’s very heavy on first- and second-year players. Although it was disappointed to fall to sixth in the lottery after an 18-64 season, the Wizards still wound up with a decent draft haul.