Illini standout Will Riley declares for the 2025 NBA Draft

On April 14th, Illini freshman standout Will Riley announced his decision to enter the 2025 NBA draft. Riley, a five-star recruit originally from Canada, played one season with the Illini and averaged 12.6 points per game. The star forward started his career with a 31-point game vs Eastern Illinois and ended the season averaging 15.9 points per game over the last 15 games. 

Will Riley proved that he is one of the premier scorers in college basketball and has shown next-level ability on the offensive end. If he can bulk up, Will is arguably as promising a prospect there is at 6 foot 8 inches. His game vs Minnesota was one of the highlights of the season as he dropped 27 points and added 9 rebounds and 7 assists.

Riley’s Draft stock

Per the latest CBS Sports Mock Draft, Riley will go to the Atlanta Hawks with the number 14th overall pick. Per ESPN’s draftboard, Will Riley is the 15th overall prospect in this year’s draft. Of course, there is still question about Will’s physical stature and ability to shoot, which makes his draft stock a fluid situation. Regardless, the NBA draft Combine is on May 11-18 in Chicago, and the draft will be on June 25-26 in New York.

Will Riley will have a huge decision to make after the Combine regarding whether he wants to get a head start on his NBA career or to come back to college as one of the premier players. At his age, however, there is too much upside present for Riley not to be an NBA draft pick. Whether that is the first or second round, Riley will get selected by an NBA team. If he does return to college, however, he has a chance at boosting his draft stock even more, but there is always the chance of falling.

Is that risk worth it?

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