When the NBA draft rolled around in June, Wizards fans were stuck in the familiar position of selecting eighth overall. There seemed to only be three surefire selections, none of which would fall to Washington. The Wizards have long been known for drafting conservatively and many expected them to continue this trend. But, the new front office decided to break from this norm and select Bilal Coulibaly 7th overall, following a trade with Indiana for Jarace Walker. The young Frenchman entered the league with a few question marks around his game. Now, he looks to be everything Wizards fans were hoping for. Here are some of the takeaways from Bilal Coulibaly’s preseason thus far.
Defensive Takeaways
Going into the draft, scouts were blown away by Coulibaly’s physical toolset. Standing at 6’7″ tall, with a 7’2″ wingspan and loaded with athleticism, scouts immediately noted the potential defensive impact he could bring from day one. While it is always best to take preseason basketball with a healthy dose of salt, Coulibaly seems to be living up to the billing.
Active Hands
Much of Coulibaly’s immediate defensive impact stems from his on-ball defense. With his speed and reach he has so far looked like a terror for opposing ballhandlers. See the clip here (0:34) where he casually hawks the ballhandler before poking it loose and charging the other way on the break. Ballhandlers will have to keep their handle tight while guarded by Coulibaly. With the Frenchman’s explosiveness and length, he may find himself tasked with crossmatching against opposing point guards. There will be struggles this season for Coulibaly. Weighing only 195 lbs, the league’s stronger players will try to impose their physicality on the rookie. Regardless, the Wizards have potentially drafted a lockdown on-ball wing.
Reading the Game
Coulibaly’s on-ball defense was more of a known quantity to most scouts, and there were encouraging signs off-ball as well. As anyone involved in the game will tell you, there is a learning curve for NBA defensive schemes. The speed of the game and the variety of switches necessary can be tough for any rookie to learn. In this respect, Coulibaly seems ahead of the curve. In this clip, Coulibaly flashes his off-ball defending. At the start of the play, he is the weak-side defender furthest from the play. Focusing on more than his direct mark, Coulibaly is scanning the offense as LaMelo Ball initiates the action. When he sees the rotation breakdown around Corey Kispert, Coulibaly immediately covers the distance to make a play. This is where his physical tools help him, allowing him to elevate in moments and send Bryce McGowens shot to Silver Spring.
Offensive Takeaways
Coulibaly’s defense was the more well-documented part of his game heading into the draft. It is on the other side of the ball that many fans will be hoping for flashes of excitement and improvement. Luckily, it seems like the coaching staff are giving the rookie his chance to grow in an NBA offense. In particular, we can examine last Thursday’s game against the Hornets, where Coulibaly was given the start by Wes Unseld Jr.
Terror on the Fastbreak
One of the major reports coming out of Wizards preseason is how the team wants to play quicker around their core group. This will benefit team leaders Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole, but will also showcase one of the best parts of Coulibaly’s game. The rookie is lightning quick with real vertical explosion. For this reason, the open floor provides him the best chance to rack up points this year. Watching back Coulibaly’s highlights from France, his capable finishing stands out. Hopefully, Coulibaly will have the chance to get fans in Capital One Arena out of their seats with some high-flying breakaways this season.
Connecting from Deep
The NBA is in an era of “space and pace.” Coulibaly certainly has the “pace” part of the modern game, it is the “space” that will determine his ceiling. Against the Hornets, Coulibaly went 2/3 from behind the three-point line. Both of his makes coming on open spot-ups. The encouraging sign here is that the rookie let it fly with no hesitation, pointing to an underlying belief in his shot. If Coulibaly can become an average shooter, the Wizards spacing will improve drastically. It will also allow his slashing game to grow as defenses are forced to close him out. However encouraging these takeaways from Bilal Coulibaly’s preseason are, this all remains speculation for the future. The Wizards have emphasized patience and development with their young swingman.
