Ht/Wt: 6' 9" / 195 lbs
Position: SG/SF
Team: Illinois
Class: Freshman

2025 Draft Profile - William Riley

The Ringer - May 27th: "Riley plays with a modern intuition that, paradoxically, makes him hard to place in today’s NBA game. Skilled 6-foot-8 wings with the ability to confidently pull up from 28 feet out, throw a hook pass off a live dribble, and capably navigate and relocate off the ball into open space don’t grow on trees."

Kyle Boone - CBS Sports - May 23rd: "Riley had six games of 20+ scoring outings as a freshman and has a big frame and a knack for scoring."

NBA Draft Room - May 22nd: "He’s also got great positional size to go along with solid athleticism. He’s not a big wingspan guy and has major work to do developing his defensive abilities but his offensive firepower is hard to ignore."

Kevin O'Connor - Yahoo! Sports - May 12th: "Riley has dynamic driving ability and playmaking instincts that scream upside as a jumbo-sized, shot-creating wing. But his jumper is streaky, and his defense is unreliable since he’s so lean physically and lacks fundamentals."

Jeremy Woo - ESPN - March 25th: "He strung together several impressive offensive showings before a forgettable 84-75 loss to Kentucky. Riley had it all on display against Xavier in the first round, scoring 22 points, making good decisions and picking his spots as a scorer and playmaker."

NBA Draft Room - March 22nd: "Riley is one of the elite scorers in this draft and is emerging as a potential star. He’s a very high level shot-maker but struggles to guard and has major work to do on the defensive end."

Jeremy Woo - ESPN - March 13th: "Though many NBA execs are fans of his potential as a shooter at his size, his statistical case isn't particularly attractive, making just 48.6% on 2-pointers and 32% on 3-pointers in the regular season. He needs to get stronger long term to maximize his NBA chances."

Jonathan Wasserman - Bleacher Report - March 11th: "Aside from scoring with more confidence, he also showed encouraging growth as a playmaker by using his dribble and gravity to set up teammates. Still, teams will likely see more of a long-term project, and he could raise some eyebrows at the NBA combine after last measuring a negative wingspan."




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