How Wizards’ Will Riley could become the next Paul George

The Washington Wizards’ 153-131 home loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday looked like business as usual on the surface, as Washington is tanking while Philadelphia is fighting to automatically qualify for the playoffs. However, 76ers star forward Paul George gave a symbolic compliment to rookie wing Will Riley postgame.

The six-time All-NBA honoree said that he sees himself in the 20-year-old, via Wizards Lead’s Jarrett Spence.

I asked Paul George his impressions on Will Riley. Both being 6’9” skinny kids coming into the league, PG sees a lot of himself in Riley. Looks like Riley has the stamp of approval from a former All-Star. pic.twitter.com/wiijvSTDCH

— Jarrett L. (@JL_On_Hoops) April 2, 2026

“He’s good, he’s got a bright future. I love his aggressiveness, I love his assertiveness,” he said. “He can dribble, he can do a lot of things…handle, playmake, score. He can do a little bit of everything on the court…He’s playing with confidence. I see a lot of myself in him.”

Riley’s offensive game resembles George’s when he first entered the NBA. The latter player was drafted No. 10 overall by the Indiana Pacers in 2010 as a 6-foot-8 wing who showed flashes as a shot creator, three-level scorer and playmaker. He only averaged 7.8 points on 45.3% shooting (29.7% 3-point) over 20.7 minutes as a rookie, but his scoring average increased by four-plus points in each of the next three seasons, and his three-point clip was above 36% during that time despite his average attempts increasing each year.

George eventually grew into a two-way superstar, as he earned All-Defensive honors four times and led the NBA in steals in 2019. The California native topped out with 28 points per game on 43.8% shooting (38.6% 3-point) over 36.9 minutes for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2018-19.

Riley has a long way to go before reaching those heights, but he’s shown that type of potential over the last two months. The 2025 No. 21 overall pick averaged 14.6 points on 47% shooting (37.5% 3-point) over 27.1 minutes in February and 15.3 points on 45.4% shooting (34.2% 3-point) across 31.6 minutes in March. He averaged under 20 minutes and eight points in each month before February.

Riley was nominated for Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for March, but 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe won on Thursday, per the league. Regardless, the native Canadian has shown that he has one of the deepest bags offensively of any young NBA player right now.

Riley displayed an assortment of moves on Wednesday alone, including a stop-and-pop jumper, a blow-by on a crossover, a fadeaway, assists out of double teams, catch-and-shoot threes, and his first career poster. The former Illinois Fighting Illini player finished with 18 points (8-12 FG, 2-6 3-point), three assists and one rebound over 32 minutes.

Will Riley 18/1/3 on 8/12 FG vs Philly

There is a new star in DC https://t.co/RHMiRXj6uA pic.twitter.com/q1jq0lupV7

— riley ｼ (@rileyr_) April 2, 2026

Riley has also scored and assisted off of spin moves in recent weeks, so he’s already succeeded in several ways since he became one of the main players in the Wizards’ rotation. However, the 2025 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year must learn how to defend, which is an area George was proficient in since the beginning.

Riley has a 121 defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) this season and had a 125.1 rating in March. Conversely, George is at 111.5 this year and had a 104.1 rating as a rookie.

Once Riley figures out defense, nothing is stopping him from becoming the next George.

Will Riley must add muscle to match Paul George

One key difference between the two players is weight. George is listed at 220 pounds, 40 more than Riley despite being one inch shorter. George was also listed at 214 pounds at the 2010 draft combine.

Riley adding muscle over the coming years will help him prevent dribblers from getting past him, which is paramount for a wing defender. Otherwise, big men will have to constantly provide help defense at the rim to prevent Riley’s man from scoring.

Luckily, Riley has plenty of time to do so. He came into the league after just one year in college, while George waited until after his sophomore season at Fresno State. Riley is a year ahead of George’s timeline and is around the same level offensively that the latter player was as a rookie, so that helps make up for the defensive deficiencies.

Riley is averaging 9.6 points on 44.4% shooting (33.1% 3-point) with 2.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists over 21 minutes this season. He also sports an effective field goal percentage of 51.1, a true shooting percentage of 55.7, and a usage rate of 19.1, while George was at 50.5, 54.2, and 17.2, respectively. Another difference is that George contributed to a competitive team, as Indiana made the playoffs that season while Washington is an NBA-worst 17-59. That doesn’t invalidate the raw talent that Riley has, but he must perform when the Wizards try to win next season and beyond.

For now, Riley is another feather in general manager Will Dawkins’ cap. The former Thunder executive traded for second-year wing Kyshawn George outside of the lottery on draft night in 2024, and he did the same with Riley last year. Both players have now established themselves as productive pieces in Washington’s young core, as George earned Rising Stars honors this season and averaged 14.8 points on 43.8% shooting (38.1% 3-point) with 5.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.9 stocks (steals and blocks) across 29 minutes before the team shut him down due to an elbow injury.

Up next for the Wizards are road contests with the Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

The post How Wizards’ Will Riley could become the next Paul George appeared first on ClutchPoints.