Will Riley grabbed the Utah Jazz hat from the podium after climbing the stage at Barclays Center on Wednesday night.
All the initial draft photos, including Riley’s handshake with NBA commissioner Adam Silver, will have the former Illinois standout in that hat. Even if he’s not going to suit up for Utah next season.
It’s the unfortunate quirk of the NBA Draft.
Draft-night trades aren’t immediately official. Utah traded the No. 21 overall pick to the Washington Wizards for the 18th pick (Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr.), 43rd pick and two future second-round picks.
In essence, Utah drafted Riley at No. 21 — immediately after Illinois teammate Kasparas Jakucionis went No. 20 to the Miami Heat — for Washington. It just took a little time for
Riley to get his hands on a Wizards hat.
“It was a surreal feeling hearing my name called — the suspense through it all not knowing where I was going to go,” Riley, decked out in said Wizards hat, told reporters after he was selected. “It was a crazy night. But I'm super excited that it happened, and I'm super excited to spend time with my family, as well.”
That Washington used the No. 21 pick on Riley wasn’t a total surprise. The 6-foot-8 wing worked out for the Wizards during the pre-draft process.
“I had a great visit with the team,” he said. “I really enjoyed the coaches, all the staff. I'm just super excited to meet all the players as well. … The coaches really like my versatility. They like my ability to shoot. They like my guard skills, and they like my IQ a lot.”
Riley was the Wizards’ second pick of the first round after taking Texas guard Tre Johnson sixth overall. The two rookies will join a new-look Washington team. The Wizards shipped out Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey and the No. 40 pick in this year’s draft to the New Orleans Pelicans for CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk and a future second-round pick.
Riley could provide depth on the wing behind Khris Middleton, Bilal Coulibaly and Corey Kispert. The Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, native was Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year at Illinois after averaging 12.6 points as a 43/33/72 shooter to go with 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
“I feel like it's a very physical league with a lot of older guys,” Riley said of the Big Ten. “It prepared me in that way. It's a very fast-paced league as well. I feel like in the NBA, a lot of teams are playing very fast. I feel like it helps in that transition.
“Illinois prepared me in a lot of ways, I feel. There was a lot of guys on the team who are vets and they led the way for us because they helped us get through a lot of things. I faced a lot of adversity, as well, and I feel like that happens to most freshmen. … I feel like I already went through all that adversity, so I know how to deal with it now and I know how to stay confident and stay modest through it all and stay level headed.”
A strong finish to Riley’s one-and-done freshman season saw him up his averages to 15.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists in his final 15 games. It’s that stretch that helped solidify his status as a potential first-round draft pick. Potential he realized Wednesday night in New York.
“He’s a skilled shot maker,” ESPN college basketball analyst said of Riley after he was drafted. “He’s a good passer. He can operate out of pick-and-rolls, but he’s a worker. You could argue, ‘Hey, he’s not an elite NBA athlete,’ but the way he played his last seven games was really impressive.”
Scott Richey covers college basketball for The News-Gazette. His email is [srichey@news-gazette.com](mailto:srichey@news-gazette.com), and you can follow him on Twitter ([@srrichey](https://www.twitter.com/srrichey)).