But for the purpose of this story, we are more interested in the 21st selection of Wednesday night's first round. Out of the University of Illinois, the Wizards selected Will Riley. Known for his shooting as well, Riley was the Sixth Man of the Year in the Big Ten.

The Washington Wizards have selected Will Riley with the No. 21 pick in the 2025 NBA draft. Riley was named Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year in 2025. He set the Illinois freshman record for points in a debut with 31 against Eastern Illinois and later broke the program’s freshman NCAA tournament scoring mark with 22 in a Round 1 win over Xavier.

Amid the elation of Bub Carrington's buzzer-beater to win the final game of the 2024-25 regular season, with teammates swarming him on the court and dumping water over him in the locker room, a dark lining emerged for the Washington Wizards.