Will Riley sends an “ascension” message as he forces the Wizards’ hands

Washington Wizards resorted to “Finding None” References to stay sane amid a 3-19 start, but Saturday’s 131-116 loss to the Atlanta Hawks was a step up from a 45-point loss to the Boston Celtics without Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on Thursday. Nothing was more encouraging for the future of the organization than rookie wing Villa Riley career best performance.

The 21st overall pick explained to ClutchPoints after the game how the Wizards are have helped him developeven when he was not in the rotation.

“All the coaching staff are very close to me. They always talk to me, they always lift me up,” he said. “Coach (Brian) Keefe always tells me ‘Good job’ … I feel like he helps in a lot of ways. He boosts my confidence, even when I get off the floor … He wants to win, and as a player who also wants to win, you feed off a coach who wants to win. So I fed off and that helped me a lot and his energy.

Riley had a career-high 15 points (6-12 FG, 1-5 3-point) with one rebound and three turnovers in 19 minutes off the bench Saturday. The 19-year-old is now averaging 24 minutes in three games in December after averaging 6.4 minutes over his previous 13 appearances.

That’s partly due to Washington’s growing injury list. Third-year guard Bilal Coulibaly (oblique), rookie guard Tre Johnson (hip flexor), second-year center Alex Saar (adductor), veteran Khris Middleton (knee) and veteran veteran Corey Kispert (thumb) they were all outside against the Hawks, according to the team’s injury report.

Everyone was ahead of Riley on the depth chart before December, but he claims to be a full-time player anyway. The 6-foot-9, 180-pounder is averaging 11.7 points on 54.2 percent shooting (40 percent 3-point) with three rebounds and one assist this month, which would put him fourth on the team in scoring and tied for eighth in rebounding if those were his season averages. The sample size is small, but he deserves to continue getting extended minutes for now.

Although Riley proves his worth, he realizes that he is far from the finished product. The native Canadian spoke about that postgame on Saturday.

“Honestly, my communication in defense and my footwork,” he said when asked what he has improved the most so far. “I still have a long way to go defensively, so I’ve been working on that.”

That assessment is consistent with Rotowire pre-draft profile Riley, who said “He may have to earn his stripes as a wing defender before being given more offensive responsibilities at the NBA level” despite having “solid defensive skills.” Former Illinois Fighting Illini primarily shines as a frame creator at this point, as he showed on Saturday.

Will Riley 15 points on 6/12 FG https://t.co/LKSUIrbeOus pic.twitter.com/nZz6E9k50I

— Riley ｼ (@rileirichards) December 7, 2025

Riley also admitted that he is adjusting to the physicality of the NBA, just like any rookie. The 2024-25 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year will benefit from increased strength in the coming years, but the fact that he’s already playing effectively on offense is a good thing.

Most importantly, Riley’s rise challenges Washington’s mantra of minutes being earned, not given this season.

Will the Wizards live up to their stated philosophy?

Washington GM Will Dawkins he claimed in his preseason presser that the rotation will be a meritocracy this year, via Monumental Sports Network’s Chase Hughes.

“With that comes a lot of competition and I told them last year that a lot of things are given more than earned. This year that can’t be the case and everyone here has to feel that. That’s what’s going to sharpen iron. Iron sharpens iron,” he said. That’s the mentality we have to have.”

The realization of that idea has been inconsistent so far. For example, second-year guard Bab Carrington is sixth on the team with 25.7 minutes per game despite having the worst net rating (-24.5) and field goal percentage (34.9) of any player in the regular rotation. Additionally, second-round pick Jamir Watkins started in a 146-101 loss to the Celtics despite logging just 33 minutes in four appearances before that.

However, the Wizards are rewarding veteran forward Justin Champagne for his efficiency. The 24-year-old is averaging 22.8 minutes through four games in December after averaging 10.6 through 16. He continues to produce after moving from a two-way to a standard contract last season, ranking third on the team with 1.6 offensive rebounds a night despite standing just 6-foot-6. He is also tied for first (minimum 10 games played) with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.6.

Champagne spoke of what he was brings to the table after the loss to the Hawks.

After Keefe told us that Justin Champagnie has earned more minutes, I asked JC what unique qualities he brings:

“Obviously my hustle. I try to keep things really simple… Shoot threes, play defense, rebound, block, intangibles, do the dirty work that most people don’t want to do…” pic.twitter.com/1AggVcKGKD

— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) December 7, 2025

“Obviously it’s my hustle. I try to keep things really simple on the court,” admitted the former Pittsburgh Panther. “Shoot threes, play defense, rebound, block, do the intangibles, do the dirty work that most people don’t want to do. I think that’s my biggest attribute … And my energy. I try to let people feed off my energy. I try to come to the gym every day with a smile on my face, I try to lift people up, I try to get energy.”

The increase in champagne minutes has put him in a rhythm, which helps his efficiency. In addition to the aforementioned traits of the native New Yorker, he is shooting 53.1 percent from the field (40 percent from 3-point range) on eight attempts per game in December after shooting 42.4 percent on 2.8 attempts in November.

Both Riley and Champagne deserve to stay in the rotation, even when injured players return. The onus is on Keefe and the coaching staff to keep them in the fold when that time comes.