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Wizards’ Will Riley reveals key advice from Khris Middleton after win vs. Kings
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- Wizards’ Will Riley reveals key advice from Khris Middleton after win vs. Kings
Wizards' Will Riley reveals key advice from Khris Middleton after win vs. Kings appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
WASHINGTON. D.C. — After getting demolished by the Los Angeles Lakers at home on Friday, the Washington Wizards won a game that they shouldn't have won on paper at Capital One Arena on Sunday. It hurt them in the tank standings, but it was a step in the right direction for young Wizards players like Will Riley and AJ Johnson .
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After Sunday's 116-112 victory over the Sacramento Kings , Riley revealed how veterans Khris Middleton and Anthony Gill have helped him grow in his rookie season.
"Routine and the way you carry yourself. Khris has a very good routine, comes very early," the 19-year-old said. "He's done the same routine throughout his whole career. I feel like building a routine, and character from AG. He's instilled a lot of great character into me. How you treat people, how you talk to people. He's a very important person to have in my life."
Middleton and Gill are the only two players left on Washington who are over 30 years old, and Middleton's days in the nation's capital may be numbered. The 34-year-old is a buyout candidate with Thursday's NBA Trade Deadline coming up, per The Athletic.
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The Wizards acquired Middleton from the Milwaukee Bucks in last year's Kyle Kuzma trade, a deal that also landed them Johnson. Middleton was a salary dump, as he's a past-his-prime hooper who had a cap hit of $31 million last season and is playing on a $33.2 million player option this season. Even though his contract expires this summer, it's still a hard one to trade in today's apron era when teams are cash-strapped. His salary doesn't match his production, as he's averaging 10.3 points on 43.3 percent shooting (32.6 percent 3-point) with four rebounds and 3.3 assists over 24.4 minutes. Conversely, Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro is making $31 million and averages 21.9 points on 49.7 percent shooting (35.8 percent 3-point) with 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists over 31.7 minutes.
That's why Washington will likely buy Middleton out instead of trading him. The former NBA champion would make more sense as a bench player on a contending team at this point in his career, and letting him go would free up more minutes for young Wizards players. On Jan. 22, team president Michael Winger specifically identified Riley and Johnson as players the organization wants to evaluate more moving forward, via Monumental Sports Network.
Sunday's game was productive from that perspective. Riley scored a career-high 18 points (6-15 FG, 4-8 3-point) with six rebounds, six assists (career-high), one steal, and just one turnover across 30 minutes, while Johnson notched a season-high 17 points (7-13 FG, 2-5 3-point) as well as four assists, one rebound, and one steal over 27 minutes. However, the second-year guard also logged seven turnovers.
Washington closed the game out with a bench lineup of Riley, Johnson, Gill, guard Sharife Cooper , and big man Skal Labissiere , and beat a Kings lineup in crunch time that featured multi-time All-Stars DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine . That entire Wizards group other than Gill has played extensively together for the Capital City Go-Go (Wizards' G League affiliate) this season.
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Playing that lineup instead of the starters gave Washington the best chance to lose, as that would've been the best outcome for its draft lottery odds. Now that it won anyway, it's tied with the Brooklyn Nets (13-35) for the fourth-worst record in the NBA, while the Kings (12-39) are the worst. The Wizards must finish no higher than fourth-worst in the league standings this season to guarantee the retention of their top-eight protected pick.
On the bright side, there's plenty of time to lose more games and secure that pick before the regular season ends in April. Plus, Riley showed his potential by scoring 12 points in the fourth quarter of a close contest. That's significant for a player who had just three outings with 12-plus points in January.
Additionally, Riley's comments about Middleton and Gill show why the Wizards have kept multiple 30-plus-year-olds on the roster since last season despite their primary mission being young player development. Experience leads to wisdom, and the veterans share that wisdom with the young guys. Middleton's routine and Gill's character might not be the primary reasons why Riley had the best game of his career on Sunday, but those qualities are essential for long-term success in the league.
AJ Johnson gets 100 percent real about season-best performance
© Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
Riley is averaging 14.9 minutes across 40 games this season, but Johnson was in even more dire need of extended playing time entering Sunday. The 21-year-old is averaging just 7.9 minutes across 24 NBA appearances, which isn't ideal for a 2024 first-round pick.
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While Johnson showed off his primary skill of pressuring the rim, he also kicked out to open shooters and made a couple of threes himself. The California native opened up postgame about not only sealing the win alongside his Go-Go teammates, but doing so against established NBA talent like LaVine and DeRozan.
"It definitely feels good going out there and playing against great players…Competing…It's a blessing," he said.
If Johnson keeps getting rotational minutes and performs well moving forward, especially against playoff-caliber teams, he'll give the Washington brass something to think about as it decides who to keep long-term.
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Up next for the Wizards is a home date with the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
Related: Wizards Must Follow Luka Doncic's Advice After Lakers Blowout
Related: Russell Westbrook, Malik Monk, Alex Sarr headline Kings-Wizards injury report
