The Washington Wizards have won two of their last three games after starting the season 1-15, and Monday's 129-126 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks was the type of performance that inspires hope for the future. Bucks head coach Doc Rivers opened up to ClutchPoints about the Wizards' young core postgame.
Doc Rivers told me postgame that Bilal Coulibaly’s effort, length, and strength helps him be a top-tier defender. Also called the Wizards’ young core “fantastic” and said that Middleton and McCollum are the “secret sauce” that help them keep games close. pic.twitter.com/nJhD9qf6ny
— Joshua Valdez (@joshvaldez100) December 2, 2025
“Well today, they were fantastic. They just play hard,” he said. “They're a young team that has no fear. There's no pressure on them with their record, so they just come out and play. You let a team like that get close, they'll beat you. You know, one thing about them, [when] it gets to a four-minute game, they have two players in Khris Middleton and CJ McCollum that know how to play. That's their secret sauce. Try to keep a game close, and let the veterans take over. That's what happened tonight.”
To Rivers' point, Middleton scored eight of his 15 points in the final four minutes, and McCollum hit a contested step-back three to give Washington a four-point lead with 15 seconds left. McCollum led the team with 28 points (11-21 FG, 4-11 3-point), while Middleton led with six assists.
Neither of them are a part of the Wizards' long-term plans, as they're both on expiring contracts and the team wants to build around its young core. However, having them until February's NBA Trade Deadline gives Washington reliable veterans who provide leadership on and off the court, which helps the young players develop.
Outside of the elder statesmen, third-year guard Bilal Coulibaly was a game-changer defensively. The 21-year-old notched three steals as well as one block and was a nuisance to Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished with five turnovers and six fouls (two offensive). The latter player did have 26 points (10-17 FG, 0-1 3-point), but that's below his season average of 30.6.
Rivers explained what makes Coulibaly, who sealed the win by stealing the ball from Antetokounmpo and completing an and-one dunk over him in the final seconds, such a tough defender.
“He just plays hard. Physical, long arms, athletic, strong,” he said.
Wizards head coach Brian Keefe also credited Coulibaly postgame for being the “head” of the defense, via the team's social media.
Bilal Coulibaly must do 1 thing to reach upper echelon
Washington couldn't have asked for a better defensive outing from Coulibaly, but he only scored seven points (3-9 FG, 1-4 3-point) with two assists and three turnovers in 33 minutes. It was a quintessential performance from the 6-foot-7, 195-pounder, as he's shooting just 42.4 percent (30.9 percent 3-point) in his career.
Coulibaly's efficiency has been even worse this year, as he's shooting 38.4 percent (28.9 percent 3-point) over 11 games played. Meanwhile, NBA guards are shooting 44.5 percent (36.5 percent 3-point) as a whole this season, per StatMuse.
If Coulibaly at least gets close to the latter averages, he has All-Star potential. But it will be hard for the Wizards to give the two-time Rising Star 30-plus minutes a game when they're competitive if he continues his current shooting pace.
Regardless, the fact that Coulibaly can disrupt all-time greats like Antetokounmpo defensively gives him a path to being a long-term contributor. The question is whether the French international will be a role player, an All-Star, or something in between.
Coulibaly's next chance to improve his offensive output is Washington's road matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. ET. After that, the team will return home to play the Boston Celtics on Thursday night.
