Will Riley looked like the kind of young wing who could force his way into the Washington Wizards’ plans. Through the preseason, though, the path to consistent minutes has gotten a lot bumpier.
Riley entered the summer with real momentum after ending last season as one of Washington’s clearer bright spots. He went from a little-used third-stringer to a dependable scorer after the All-Star break, finishing that stretch at 15.6 points per game and appearing in every game from February onward. The appeal was easy to see: a multi-level shot-maker who could get downhill, stay poised despite his slight frame and use crafty footwork to carve out points in the paint at 6-foot-9.
That promise only grew when Riley showed up to Summer League looking stronger and more aggressive attacking the basket. With Trae Young now in the mix and no obvious backup point guard settled in behind him, the opening seemed there for Riley to keep climbing and carve out a role as an eighth- or ninth-man option.
Instead, Washington has other options emerging in the same lane.
AJ Dybantsa and Kyshawn George both fit the same general mold as versatile, unselfish scorers who can handle the ball and help on defense. The Wizards also have several bench pieces getting regular run by the third preseason game, including Bilal Coulibaly, Tre Johnson, Justin Champagnie, Deandre Ayton and Bub Carrington. That crowd has made the rotation picture tighter for Riley than it looked a few months ago.
Coulibaly has already used his spring momentum to lock into a regular spot on the Wizards’ improved bench, bringing a revamped jumper and his usual defensive athleticism. Riley, meanwhile, has slipped farther from the core rotation with each game. In the second preseason game, he had been taking on plenty of on-ball responsibility, but by the third preseason outing he was no longer among the more immediate names getting run.
The result is a much less certain role than many expected for the 20-year-old. Riley still has more NBA experience than Dybantsa, and his passing is as polished as anyone in the group. But Dybantsa’s upside as a win-now piece with room to grow gives Washington another compelling option, and that may push Riley toward waiting for a chance created by injury or a later opening in the rotation.
If that’s how it plays out, Riley could still make his mark in short bursts. For now, though, the Wizards don’t appear eager to force the issue when they can lean on players they can mix and match more easily at the start of the season.
The best version of Riley should eventually be hard to keep off the floor. He just may have to wait longer than expected to get there.
In Other News...
Wizards Opening Night Debate Could Change Kyshawn Georges Role
The Wizards still have one obvious opening to sort through before the season tips off, and it sits at shooting guard. Brian Keefe has not locked in his starting five, even with a projected lineup that already features Trae Young, AJ Dybantsa, Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr, which leaves room for Tre Johnson to enter the conversation because of the shooting and floor spacing he brings.
Johnsons candidacy matters because it could ripple beyond one spot in the lineup and into Kyshawn Georges nightly role. George has a strong case of his own, but the staffs decision on how much spacing it wants around the core could determine whether he stays with the starters or slides into a larger secondary role where he handles the ball more and influences the offense in a different way. [Read more 🡒]
Wizards Just Got Another Reason To Believe In AJ Dybantsa
The annual NBA general managers survey offered another reminder that AJ Dybantsa arrives in Washington with plenty of league-wide respect. The Wizards No. 1 overall pick was among the rookies singled out in the poll, with executives viewing his athleticism and skill set as the kind of combination that can shape a draft class over time. For a franchise trying to build momentum around a young core, that kind of recognition matters even before he plays a regular-season minute.
Dybantsas early buzz also comes with a familiar caveat for a player landing in Washington: the talent is one thing, the rookie-year context is another. GMs placed him behind a couple of other top first-year names in the Rookie of the Year conversation, a reflection less of doubt about his ceiling than of the situation he is stepping into. Cam Boozer, Darryn Peterson and Caleb Wilson were also part of the survey discussion, but for the Wizards, the encouraging part is simple enough - league evaluators still see Dybantsa as one of the class most intriguing long-term bets. [Read more 🡒]
Wizards Get One Last Preseason Test As Turnover Concerns Linger
The Wizards get one more preseason chance to clean up the details before the games start to count, and the matchup with the Pelicans brings a familiar kind of late-October gauge. Washington is 2-1 after showing encouraging stretches, including strong play from rookie AJ Dybantsa, while New Orleans arrives with the same preseason mark and its own questions about how the roster pieces fit around its top talent and a group of younger players and role pieces.
For Washington, the bigger issue has been the sloppier possessions that have surfaced along the way, especially with turnovers undermining some otherwise promising sequences. The final tune-up also comes with injury uncertainty on both sides, adding another layer to a game that should offer one last look at rotation choices, but still leaves the most important evaluation hanging over what this team can clean up before opening night. [Read more 🡒]