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Bilal Coulibaly hasn't had a perfect start to his sophomore season with the Washington Wizards, but he's done enough to earn major recognition. The French international checked in at 25th in ESPN's “25 Under 25” list, which ranks the NBA's “top young stars by future potential.”
Coulibaly will continue to climb the ranks if he follows his current trajectory, via ESPN's Tim Bontemps.
“Coulibaly was the other draft prospect alongside Victor Wembanyama two years ago in France, but Coulibaly's combination of length and explosiveness made him the No. 7 pick in the 2023 draft by Washington,” Bontemps wrote. “After playing last season at 19 (and looking every bit his age), Coulibaly has made real strides on offense, including improving his field goal percentage from 43.5% to 48.2%. If he continues to develop in the same manner, he could easily make leaps up this list in future campaigns.”
Coulibaly is now averaging 11.8 points on 44.2% shooting, as his numbers slightly dipped since the list was published on Monday. The 6-foot-8, 195-pounder has hit a wall over the last two games, scoring 10 points on 1-for-17 shooting.
However, Coulibaly's recent struggles don't take away from the fact that he's improved in most categories since last season. The 2024 Olympic Silver Medalist is shooting 7.2% better from the free-throw line, is scoring 3.4 more points per game, and is corralling 1.3 more rebounds.
While these aren't revolutionary upgrades, baby steps forward are better than regression, especially for a 20-year-old finding his way amongst the greatest competition in the world. Additionally, Coulibaly's defense has drawn compliments from the league's best players, with Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic being the latest example.
The five-time All-NBA First Teamer was impressed by the youngster's performance on that end of the floor during the Mavericks' 137-101 win over the Wizards on Thursday, via Monumental Sports Network's Bijan Todd.
While Bilal Coulibaly might struggle offensively, his defense remains a constant.
Luka Doncic testified to that postgame.
“He predicts my moves good, so that’s pretty impressive. Once you’re in the league 2-3 years, you get to know a lot of players…so he’s gonna get better.” pic.twitter.com/lnA8I9wmNo
— Bijan Todd (@bijan_todd) December 6, 2024
“He predicts my moves good, so that’s pretty impressive,” Doncic admitted. “Once you’re in the league 2-3 years, you get to know a lot of players…so he’s gonna get better.”
Speaking of impressive, Coulibaly made the future Hall-of-Famer look silly when he swiped the ball from him and tossed an alley-oop to Marvin Bagley III on the other end, via the Wizards' social media.
A steal from @Bilaal_6 → a slam from @MB3FIVE ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/n1MZ5TCKvQ
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) December 6, 2024
This wasn't a fluke either, as he's held Trae Young to a 10% shooting clip this season when guarding him. That's in addition to clamping Steph Curry (14.3%), Franz Wagner (28.6%), and Jayson Tatum (38.5%). All four players are a combined 1-of-24 from deep.
If Coulibaly is already this good defensively, imagine what he'll be in his prime.
Bilal Coulibaly's development a silver lining for struggling Wizards
Washington's youth movement has come at a price, as the club's 2-18 record is the worst in the NBA. Unlike previous years, though, these struggles are part of a long-term vision.
In the past, the Wizards were hamstrung by overpriced veteran contracts that impeded growth, Bradley Beal's five-year, $251 million max deal chief among them. This allowed them to sniff the .500 mark, including a first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks in 2020-21. However, those seasons did little to benefit their future, eventually leading to a full rebuild and regime change.
Now, Washington has sacrificed empty wins for youth development, which is the most organic way to build a contender. The win-loss record is painful, and it may not get better for a while, but Coulibaly is an example of why this era is necessary.
