Illinois freshman wing Will Riley has declared for the NBA Draft, he told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. Riley joined teammate Kasparas Jakucionis in declaring for the draft on Monday.
A five-star prospect in the Class of 2024, Riley averaged 12.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 25.6 minutes per game for Illinois this past season while shooting 43.2% from the field and 32.6% from three.
Riley had ups and downs during the season. The 6-foot-9 wing scored 31 points against Eastern Illinois in his college debut and averaged 17.2 points during his first six games. But during the next 14 games over two months, he averaged just 7.1 points on 29.9% shooting including 16.3% from three.
But Riley arguably was the Illini’s best player during the final two months, averaging 15.9 points (48.1% shooting, 34.4% three), 4.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists during the final 15 games of the season. He scored 20+ points six times this season, including three times in the final six games.
“I learned a lot through the season,” Riley told ESPN. “I faced a lot of adversity, which helped me. When I was younger, I had no idea what it was like on the American basketball scene. That transition from Canada was good for me. The biggest difference was the physicality. I put on 22 pounds before the start of the season. NBA teams saw my potential as a ball-handler and creator, my IQ, and my ability to make reads. These are things you can’t teach. I got adjusted midway through the season and started to blossom.”
Why it matters: If they stay in the draft, Riley and fellow Illini freshmen Kasparas Jakucionis will likely become the Illini’s first one-and-done draft picks in program history. Also, with Riley and Jakucionis projected to be first-round draft picks, Illinois will have first-round draft picks in back-to-back years for the first time since Frank Williams and Brian Cook were selected in the first round in 2002 and 2003, respectively. The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Illini guard Terrence Shannon Jr. in the first round (Pick No. 27) last year. Illinois has not had three first-round picks in a two-year span since Nick Anderson (No. 11, 1989), Kenny Battle (No. 27, 1989) and Kendall Gill (No. 5, 1990).
What it means: Riley will get feedback from the NBA during the process, which will likely determine his ultimate decision. The opinions are wide on Riley in the NBA Draft expert community. ESPN ranks Riley as the No. 15 prospect in the draft pool, while CBS Sports (No. 33) and The Athletic (No. 49) list Riley as a second-round prospect. The guaranteed salary difference between those opinions is vast. If he chose to return to college, Riley would be able to make seven figures in college, be one of the best players in the Big Ten next season and potentially improve his stock to lottery level in 2026. So if the NBA values him more like ESPN, he likely will jump to the next level. If ESPN is higher on Riley than the NBA, a return to college isn’t out of the question. Illinois certainly will leave an open spot (and revenue-sharing dollars) for Riley, though they can’t sit and wait to fill in their backcourt.
What’s next: The NBA Draft Combine is May 11-18 in Chicago and the NCAA deadline to withdraw from the draft is May 28.
