When the Washington Wizards nabbed Tre Mann out of last week's complicated five-team trade, most fans greeted the addition with optimism. Here was an experienced ball-handler who was still young enough to get lumped in with the rest of the squad's young depth, someone who could straddle the rotation's edge while applying a bit more pressure to reserve guards like Tre Johnson and Bub Carrington amidst their own respective quests to consolidate nightly roles.
But anyone immediately assuming that Mann will step up to control games whenever star point guard Trae Young sits may be overlooking some key playmaking pieces who are even more worthy of minutes. We're not even just talking about Johnson and Carrington here; starting wings AJ Dybantsa and Kyshawn George are each highly-capable creators and distributors, seamlessly diagnosing the attention they receive with their helpful handles, multi-level scoring packages and strong frames.
Even beyond those starters stand a few worthy part-time facilitators, with one particular understudy posing as compelling a case as anyone to dictate offensive rhythm and control alongside the second-stringers. Will Riley may not be a pure point guard, but he's worth exploring as one of the franchise's most recently-discovered on-ball weapon.
The 6'9 swingman was touted as one of the rawer prospects that this iteration of the Wizards had ever brought aboard when he was drafted 21st overall last summer, a lanky slasher with much more poise and patience to his driving and passing game than most with his particular build.
His streaky jumpshot and lack of anything resembling defensive strength were always projected to hold him back from being an instant contributor like fellow draft classmate Johnson, whose much more manicured jumper left evaluators without any critiques to issue. Riley predictably struggled to shine as a finisher and spacer to begin his NBA journey, resulting in a quick sendoff to Washington's G League-affiliated Capital City Go-Go.
Luckily for Riley, he'd learned how to seamlessly slide in and out of lineups in winning the Big 10's Sixth Man of the Year award during his on-and-done stint at Illinois, and eventually earned regular creating opportunities once he learned how to play at his own pace against the next level of defenders.
From December-onward, he averaged 25+ minutes per game , and that timeframe's 12.1 point per game average included several 20+ and 30+ point outbursts down the stretch.
Before the season's end, he'd opened up a fan base-wide debate concerning whether he was more offensively-inspiring than George as a rookie. Despite their differing builds, the slimmer Riley's relentless in getting to the paint continually unlocked a lineup's worth of cutters and shooters in proving his worth as a regularly-trusted playmaker, something to monitor for the future despite higher-profile entrances out of Young and Dybantsa.
He appeared in 74 games across the 2025-26 regular season schedule, but no way would Riley have enjoyed those same growing pains alongside the upcoming season's roster. Management's made it abundantly clear that they're done stacking the relentless losses that came with the early rebuilding stage, quietly forming a deep rotation of veterans to compliment the rising stars.
Jan 11, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Washington Wizards forward Justin Champagnie (9) with guard Will Riley (27) against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Just look at the wing depth he's physically sizing up against. Defensively-minded contributors like Bilal Coulibaly and Justin Champagnie are just as needed on that end of the floor as ever, and old-school scorer Khris Middleton is back, albeit in a minimized reserve role.
All four of those pieces averaged somewhere between 20 and 26 minutes per game as a member of last year's Wizards, and Riley, the least-defined member of that pack, has his work cut out for him in beating out his positional peers while growing as a regular creator.
It helped Riley's case that he's a guard with a forward's height, meaning that he won't have to contend with the more physical Georges and Champagnies in fortifying his own place in head coach Brian Keefe 's scheme. He's flashed more recent upside than Carrington while being inherently worth much more than the newcomer Mann, and he's a clear step ahead as a natural passer compared to Johnson.
Asking Riley to take the reins as the go-to floor general during the non-Young minutes is still a lot to consider; for now, he's better off as a secondary ball-mover, occasionally finishing plays while also creating them on other touches.
A pure backup point guard position could be in his future if he keeps going to the basket with tougher intentions, an alteration he advertised during his brief stop by the NBA Summer League, but he still has the potential and in-house good will to start the season as the eighth or ninth man before having to prove anything else.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/wizards/onsi as Diluting Doubts: Will Riley's Intriguing Case to Fill the Wizards' Backup PG Needs .
