Will Riley's Minutes Are Up +11 a Night for the Wizards
With a teammate out of the lineup, Riley is playing more and scoring more for Washington.
Will Riley is playing 11 more minutes a night for the Wizards. Over his last three games, with a teammate out of the lineup, Riley averaged 33.5 minutes. That is up from his season average of 22.1 minutes across 74 games in 2025-26. His most recent game was April 12, 2026.
The extra minutes have come with more scoring. Riley averaged 15 points a game over that three-game stretch. For the season, his average is 10.3 points. The jump in both categories lines up with the same three games, which points to a bigger role, not just a hot streak.
The increase is tied to one teammate being out. If that player returns to the lineup, Riley's minutes would likely drop back toward his season average of 22.1. If the absence continues past these three games, Riley's workload would likely stay closer to the 33.5-minute mark he has carried recently.
Three games is a short stretch to judge a role change. The next several games for the Wizards, and the health of the teammate Riley has been filling in for, will show whether this is a short-term fill-in or a real shift in Riley's spot in the rotation for the rest of 2025-26.