Now 6-foot-9 with shoes and up to 205 pounds, Washington Wizards second-year wing Bilal Coulibaly has grown physically since his rookie season. However, his development isn’t limited to his physical profile, as the 20-year-old has also improved his awareness and added to his skillset.
Wizards’ Pillar Bilal Coulibaly Paints Compelling Picture Of Offseason Growth
“I just feel like I know what’s going on on the court,” Coulibaly considers, per The Athletic’s Josh Robbins.
“Last year, there was some times where I felt awkward on the court and I didn’t know what I was doing for real. But now I know what I gotta do, what Coach really wants me to do. So, I know where my spots are. I know where I’m going to get the ball. It makes it way easier for me.”
Frankly, Coulibaly’s confusion was par for the course.
He was a rookie, for one. He also had a significant defensive role and was being asked to play an unfamiliar offensive role. Furthermore, the Wizards are a team devoid of experience and top-tier talent, making it even more challenging to flatten his learning curve. Lastly, French is Coulibaly’s first language, while the vast majority of his teammates and coaches were native English speakers. There’s basketball-specific verbiage that could have been lost in translation.
However, time is a key ingredient for comfort. After a year stateside and as a professional NBA player, Coulibaly was able to decompress in the offseason and absorb his experience. Even before his fractured right wrist healed up, he was working on the parts of his game that weren’t up to scratch.
Coulibaly got stronger. He worked on his ball-handling, shooting, and passing. He also won a silver medal alongside San Antonio Spurs forward-center Victor Wembanyama in the Paris Olympics.
“Oh, man,” he says, “you don’t even know how much I worked on my left hand… I can shoot with my left hand now, too, because I’ve been working so much on my left hand. It was like six weeks straight shooting with my left hand, dribbling, passing, all of that.”
Of note, Wizards coach Brian Keefe “intends to assign Coulibaly every game to guard opponents’ most dangerous perimeter players. But Keefe also expects to have Coulibaly take more of a role handling the ball and initiating the offense.”
Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler… Bilal Coulibaly?
In his time with Metropolitans 92, Coulibaly was a bit more than Wembanyama’s wingman. However, like Wembanyama, he had to learn what level of skill and physicality he needs to be an adroit offensive player in the NBA.
With his offseason improvements, Coulibaly has taken a step towards being a bonafide two-way player. If he can take the path of a player like Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler or Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, who morphed from defensive-stoppers to All-Stars, he may even become the Wizards’ best player. Of course, 2024 No. 2 pick Alex Sarr will hope to have something to say about that though.
