He hasn't played any meaningful games yet, so I don't care much about the numbers. That being said, he's a super interesting prospect. Obviously he has great positional size and an advanced scoring skill-set which in and of itself is enough to put him on the map. But what I'm also impressed by is his motor on both ends and his ability to navigate screens at his size on defense which really does propel him to the next level as a prospect.
I'm going to wait and see how he looks against better competition but he looks like a clear top 10 pick and someone who can even sneak into the top 5 by the end of the season if his scoring holds up (broadly speaking, obviously he's not going to continue scoring at the same rate) against better opponents. Anyone else thinking similarly?
Will Riley
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Will Riley
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Re: Will Riley
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Re: Will Riley
I’m high on Riley’s shot making and playmaking. He’s a great passer. His D has been surprising. I want to see how his frame holds up. Big Ten ball is intense. Want to see if he gets bullied.
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18, 9 and 4 on 3-4 from three last nigh against bama. he appears to be for real.
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Still a lot of areas in which he has to grow but the foundation is just so good. On the ball and off the ball, he simply looks like an NBA player in terms of the actions you can run with and through him.
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The-Power wrote:Still a lot of areas in which he has to grow but the foundation is just so good. On the ball and off the ball, he simply looks like an NBA player in terms of the actions you can run with and through him.
Think his IQ is high off ball similar to Knecht.
I think he can do a lot on ball too.
I think he’s top 10. Id take him 8.
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Looks like he could be a Cam Johnson 2.0 if he keeps knocking down shots. That's a valuable player. Needs to get stronger and develop physicality like anyone that age.
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Come to think of it, Riley reminds me of Brandon Miller. A bit less athletic (though neither really relies on athleticism in part due to weak frames) but he's also younger than Miller was in college. It remains to be seen how close to Miller as a shooter (not just from 3) Riley will end up being when the season is over.
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Well, that was me being too prematurely excited.
Unfortunately he has not shown to be an elite shooter (which I initially banked on) and he cannot take any advantage of his size on either end primarily due to being too physically weak and not very athletic (the stocks numbers for him are a red flag, as is his coach often keeping him glued to the bench in second halves). So essentially you have to evaluate him as a Guard and in that context he's just lacking in too many departments right now.
Still very draftable to me but I'm not sure I have ever dropped a player this much this fast on my big board.
Unfortunately he has not shown to be an elite shooter (which I initially banked on) and he cannot take any advantage of his size on either end primarily due to being too physically weak and not very athletic (the stocks numbers for him are a red flag, as is his coach often keeping him glued to the bench in second halves). So essentially you have to evaluate him as a Guard and in that context he's just lacking in too many departments right now.
Still very draftable to me but I'm not sure I have ever dropped a player this much this fast on my big board.
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Re: Will Riley
The-Power wrote:Well, that was me being too prematurely excited.
Unfortunately he has not shown to be an elite shooter (which I initially banked on) and he cannot take any advantage of his size on either end primarily due to being too physically weak and not very athletic (the stocks numbers for him are a red flag, as is his coach often keeping him glued to the bench in second halves). So essentially you have to evaluate him as a Guard and in that context he's just lacking in too many departments right now.
Still very draftable to me but I'm not sure I have ever dropped a player this much this fast on my big board.
we all do this every year

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Even though we all know teams play absolute cupcakes to start the year and try to warn ourselves not to get too excited, it's still hard not to get pulled in by the big numbers.
Important to note that he reclassified. Those types of guys often struggle with physicality. Really hope he returns to school next year.
Important to note that he reclassified. Those types of guys often struggle with physicality. Really hope he returns to school next year.