While the 2024-25 season didn’t end the way any Illinois basketball fan wanted, this program is sending multiple players to the NBA.
One of the future NBA ballers is Illini forward Will Riley. Even though he is extremely young, as Riley reclassified and was actually supposed to be a senior in high school last season, he is still projected as one of the top NBA Draft targets.
Riley is currently going through the NBA Draft Combine, and on Monday, he got his official measurements.
The height the NBA has Riley at is 6-foot-8.25 barefoot. His FightingIllini.com profile rounded up or down and had Riley at 6-foot-8. He also had a 6-foot-8.25 wingspan and an 8-foot-8 standing reach.
Illinois’ Will Riley’s official measurements from the NBA Draft Combine:
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 12, 2025
6’8 ¼ barefoot, 185.6 lbs with a 6’8 ¾" wingspan and 8’8” standing reach
Riley grew an inch and added 14 pounds from last year's Nike Hoop Summit. pic.twitter.com/2L2HF4Jlvd
There was one number that piqued my interest. On his college profile, Illinois listed Riley at 195 pounds. That doesn’t appear to be the case, though. The NBA Draft Combine weighed Riley at 185.6 pounds, and apparently, this was up 14 pounds from the Nike Hoops Summit, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN.
Will Riley’s weight won’t matter much in the NBA when it is all said and done
It does sound like a big difference between 195 pounds and 185.6 pounds. But we have been through this discussion before with previous NBA players, and it never really matters that much.
Look at the past 20 years. Kevin Durant couldn’t bench 200 pounds, yet he has developed into a Hall of Famer. You have Victor Wembanyama with the San Antonio Spurs, and he is a twig when it comes to physical build.
In today’s NBA, mostly void of banging around in the paint, versatility and agility matter a lot. Riley showed at Illinois that he can move well on the floor. He can get to the rim and has enough strength to finish. Moreover, Riley has the ability to shoot at all levels on the floor, and his three-point shooting will only continue to improve. That is what matters when it is all said and done.