CANADIAN Will Riley is an exciting small forward and intriguing NBA Draft prospect, showing plenty of ability during his time with Illinois, giving his stock a big boost ahead of the intake in June.

With excellent driving ability, plenty of upside as a shooter and nice skills as a playmaker, there is enough checked on the positives list to justify a selection around the top-20 mark for the small forward in a couple of months.

Although there are certain areas to work on in his defending as well as his shooting off the dribble, he has enough points in the bank to still be considered an exciting prospect.

With Illinois throughout the 2024/25 season, he averaged 12.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.3 steals and 0.3 blocks per game on 43.2 per cent shooting from the field in an eye-catching campaign for the Fighting Illini.

With that in mind, Rookie Me Central will run through some of the clearest comparisons to already established NBA talents, with Riley matching the eye test to some of the more impressive wings to come through the draft in the past decade.

Cam Reddish – Los Angeles Lakers

Reddish was once a highly touted draft pick, and although he has been in and out of rotations around the league, the talent is undeniable, and there are similarities in the way the two played prior to their respective drafts. Reddish was the 10th overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft, picked up by the Atlanta Hawks after a strong stint with the Duke Blue Devils. He averaged 10+ points in his first three seasons, but began to plateau shortly after, and moved to the New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers and last played for the Los Angeles Lakers. Both players are excellent on the drive, can hold their own as ball-handlers and playmakers and slot in nicely off the ball, which increases Riley’s value ahead of the 2025 draft in June.

Michael Porter Jr. – Denver Nuggets

In terms of pure shotmakers, Porter Jr. is one of the best in the NBA as it stands, with and is currently a key member of a contending Denver Nuggets team. Once a contender for the top pick of the 2017 draft class, back injuries saw Porter Jr. slide to 14th, where he was picked up by the Nuggets and eventually became a key member of the championship winning team of 2023. Although not the top scoring option for a talented Denver side, Porter Jr. is a seriously talented shotmaker, and can score across all three levels when he is given the opportunity. During his best games with the Fighting Illini, Riley’s ability to find the bottom of the net looks eerily similar to the Nuggets small forward, and if Riley can have just as much impact on a winning team, he would be set for a successful career.

Brandon Ingram – Toronto Raptors

Another player who is exceptional at finding the bottom of the net when he is in form, Ingram has been one of the best scoring small forwards of the past decade, despite recent injury troubles. Drafted second overall by the Los Angeles Lakers, he impressed in his first years in the league, but was moved to the New Orleans Pelicans as a part of a blockbuster trade. However, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, allowing the small forward the chance to be the number one scoring option on a team, and he was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2020 for his efforts. Since then, he has become a consistent 20-point-per-game scorer, having done so in his past six seasons. Although he has been held back by injuries of late, there is no doubt Ingram is an elite shotmaker, and Riley looks extremely similar when he is finding the bottom of the net at a high clip.