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There might not be a franchise with a bleaker outlook in the NBA than the Washington Wizards. Following their 130-125 loss to the Orlando Magic on Friday night, the Wizards now have a 3-16 record, and at the moment, the Wizards are lacking the requisite foundational pieces that portend a future of title contention. Unlike the Wizards, the similarly dreadful Detroit Pistons, at the very least, have built a nice young core of Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, Jalen Duren, and Jaden Ivey (if head coach Monty Williams ever figures out how to push the right buttons).
The Wizards even chose to plummet down the standings at an inopportune time; the 2024 NBA Draft class doesn't figure to have a game-changing presence, unlike in 2023 (Victor Wembanyama) and in the projected 2025 class (Cooper Flagg). There are simply plenty of reasons to be sad over their current situation, especially when there have been plenty of lowlights in their season already even though they haven't crossed the 20-game mark.
Even then, the Wizards may have one promising piece on the roster just waiting for his chance to cement himself as a long-term keeper for the franchise, and for the long-term interests of the team, they should very well take a leap of faith and give this young player as many minutes as he can handle.
Time to hand over the keys to Bilal Coulibaly
The Wizards made waves during the 2023 NBA Draft when they struck a deal with the Indiana Pacers to move up by one spot so they could nab Bilal Coulibaly, the fastest riser of his draft class. Coulibaly began the draft process as a projected late first-rounder or an early second-round pick, but his athletic gifts and measurables caught the eye of talent evaluators.
Coulibaly, many knew, was extremely raw on the offensive end of the court. His handles weren't exactly polished, although he can blow by plenty of defenders due to his speed on the perimeter, and his jumpshot needed a lot of work, as he shot 34.2 percent from deep during the 2022-23 season with the Metropolitans 92. And to start his NBA career, we have seen more of the same from the 19-year old wing out of France.
But Bilal Coulibaly more than makes up for it with his impeccable feel on the defensive end, combining his amazing athleticism with preternatural instincts for how to use his athletic gifts. His hands are always a looming threat in the passing lanes, making any pass around him a chore, his hand-eye coordination is amazing, and even when he gets beaten on screens, he can pry the ball loose from a ballhandler from behind at any time, while he also can provide some semblance of rim protection with his good sense of timing.
Despite having little to no experience in the NBA, Coulibaly already has all the makings of becoming a comfortably above-average defender. But it's what he can do on offense that will determine just how high his ceiling is as a pro.
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Bilal Coulibaly is already showing some playmaking courage, unafraid to throw some difficult passes by threading the needle, although his passing mechanics and timing need a lot of work. But it's his shooting that looks promising; in limited attempts this season. Coulibaly is making 1.1 of his 2.6 three-point attempts per game, which is good for a 43.5 percent clip.
His shooting mechanics look smooth, quick, and repeatable, although defenses aren't respecting him too much yet. What Coulibaly needs is reps and more opportunities to shoot the ball. At the moment, in a bench role, he isn't getting much room to spread his wings on offense, so Wes Unseld Jr. shouldn't delay the inevitable and throw Coulibaly out there to see just how far he can fly.
What do the Wizards do with Johnny Davis?
The Wizards appear to have wasted a lottery pick on Johnny Davis, the 10th overall selection of the 2022 NBA Draft. Davis has failed to crack the Wizards' rotation, and it hasn't been without reason. The 21-year old shooting guard has shown little-to-no progress over the past year, and the same problems that have plagued him (lack of top-shelf athleticism, poor shot selection, lack of ability to create much separation off the dribble) continue to persist.
Moving forward, the Wizards will have to assess what they have in Davis. He is a young player after all, and he could show signs of improvement any time now. But that may not come until February or March, when the tank is in full swing in D.C.
