Washington, DC – The Washington Wizards began the last full calendar month of their season with a 123-118 home loss to the Houston Rockets on Monday night, and they are close to retaining their top-eight protected draft pick this summer. Furthermore, their young core has taken a step forward.
For example, rookie forward Will Riley talked about partner Rookie Trey Johnson’s rise after Saturday night’s 134-125 loss to the Toronto Raptors.
Will Riley on Trey Johnson’s development this season:
“Obviously he’s an amazing player. He’s also a really good teammate, he wants to see guys succeed. He’ll always encourage guys, and he’ll also tell you what you’re doing wrong, which I appreciate as a teammate. He’s a… pic.twitter.com/YKxiFLD2Yc
-Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) 1 March 2026
“Obviously he’s an amazing player. He’s also a really good teammate, he wants to see guys succeed,” the 20-year-old said. “He’ll always encourage guys, and he’ll also tell you what you’re doing wrong, which I appreciate as a teammate. He’s a great kid, has amazing work ethic. He’s always in the gym, always one of the last guys in there with me. Always competing…”
Riley may not have intended to compliment himself when he complimented Johnson, but he did when he noted that his partner was “one of the last guys.” [the gym] With me.” The “with me” part is the highlight of the statement, as it indicates equality between the two novices.
While the cliché about professional athletes working around the clock to get better is as old as time, the work ethic is yielding results for both players. Johnson ranks third among 2025 draftees with a 37.4 percent 3-point clip (minimum of five attempts per game), and Riley averaged 14.6 points on 47 percent shooting (37.5 percent 3-point) with 4.3 rebounds in 27.1 minutes in February, the first month in which he averaged more than 20 minutes.
Washington is on a losing streak this season, but these statistical achievements are long-term wins. They represent growth, as Riley shot 38.2 percent (31.8 percent 3-pointers) in January, and Johnson his playmaking improved From the beginning of the campaign.
Trey Johnson playmaking. pic.twitter.com/dO3qrXzjNM
– Tyler Rucker (@tyler_rucker) 13 January 2026
Johnson was the Wizards’ reward for tanking last season, when they were led by veteran guard Jordan Poole and a rookie Alex Sarr. They received the No. 6 overall selection in the draft lottery, the lowest selection they would receive after finishing with the NBA’s second-worst record (18–64). They missed out on star prospects Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper, but Johnson’s deadeye shooting and promising playmaking could make him a potential upper-tier player in his own right once he reaches his peak.
Meanwhile, acquiring Riley was the result of last season’s Marcus Smart trade with the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis traded a 2025 lottery-protected first-round pick to Washington to absorb the unwanted salary of Smart, who moved up to the No. 18 overall selection after clinching a playoff berth by defeating the Dallas Mavericks 120–106 in their second play-in tournament game. The Wizards then moved up to No. 21 on draft night and selected Riley.
To increase their floor in the lottery and take advantage of cap space in trades, Washington added two building blocks to a young core that includes Sarr, second-year wing Keyshawn George, second-year guard Bub Carrington and third-year guard Bilal Coulibaly. In addition to developing those players this season, it acquired stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Young will make his Wizards debut on Thursday at home against the Utah Jazz.
Additionally, Washington is on track to retain their 2026 lottery pick as they have the NBA’s fourth-worst record (16-44) with 22 games remaining. It would have to finish with a bottom-four record to guarantee a selection in a class featuring superstar prospects like BYU’s AJ DiBuntsa, Duke’s Cameron Boozer and Kansas’ Darin Peterson.
It’s been a tough road for long-suffering Wizards fans. The team has not had a winning season since 2017–18, and has finished bottom every year since general manager Will Dawkins and president Michael Winger took over in the 2023 offseason. But Washington will finally be ready to win next season, and it’s partly due to the development of Johnson and Riley.
Danny Wolf makes hilarious confession to Will Riley
Riley had a career day in Washington’s 127–113 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on February 7, scoring 27 points (10-19 FG, 4-6 3-point) with three rebounds, three steals and two assists in 45 minutes. The Wizards used an eight-man rotation full of backups, as it was in their best interests to lose against fellow bottom-feeders like the Nets, but the native Canadian’s performance was another step forward.
Brooklyn rookie Danny Wolf talked to ClutchPoints about the relay postgame.
I asked Nets rookie Danny Wolf for his thoughts on fellow rookie Will Riley, who scored a career-high 27 points for the Wizards today (thread):
“Obviously he’s a talented player. To his credit, he played 45 minutes tonight, which is not easy to do in the NBA…He has a lot of things to offer…” pic.twitter.com/f9kVJ2jwgB
-Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) 7 February 2026
“Obviously he’s a talented player,” the former Michigan Wolverine said. “To his credit, he played 45 minutes tonight, which is not easy to do in the NBA… He has a lot of tools. He frustrated us when he was at Illinois. He’s a good player.”
Wolf was not lying, as Riley and the Fighting Illini defeated the Wolverines 93–73 on March 2, 2025. The latter averaged 13 points (6-12 FG, 0-4 3-point) with four rebounds and five assists and later won Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year honors.
Riley has shown his proficiency as a jumbo shot creator this season, and his improvement as a spot-up from long range bodes well for his future. The 6-foot-9, 180-pounder could stand to add some muscle, which would help him dominate inside defenders. But the Nets game and his general ascent in February showed what he can already do with extended playing time.
The Wizards have a road date with the Orlando Magic next Tuesday.
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