{"id":49843,"date":"2023-04-26T06:00:55","date_gmt":"2023-04-26T10:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=49843"},"modified":"2026-02-28T15:11:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T20:11:16","slug":"2023-nba-draft-bilal-coulibaly-and-james-nnaji-are-two-europeans-prospects-to-keep-an-eye-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/04\/26\/2023-nba-draft-bilal-coulibaly-and-james-nnaji-are-two-europeans-prospects-to-keep-an-eye-on\/","title":{"rendered":"2023 NBA Draft: Bilal Coulibaly and James Nnaji Are Two Europeans Prospects to Keep an Eye On"},"content":{"rendered":"

The European contingent in the 2023 NBA draft<\/a> is starting to take shape. Bilal Coulibaly<\/strong><\/a> and James Nnaji<\/strong><\/a>, two potential first-round draft picks, officially declared for the draft<\/a> on April 20. Coulibaly and Nnaji are slated to be among the youngest players in this draft.<\/p>\n

2023 Draft: Bilal Coulibaly and James Nnaji Are Two Europeans Players to Keep an Eye On<\/h2>\n

Who are the Other European Players Entering the 2023 Draft?<\/h3>\n

Coulibaly and Nnaji join eight other top European prospects to enter the draft recently, including the presumption No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembenyama<\/strong><\/a>. Wembenyama committed to the draft on Friday.<\/p>\n

Other European prospects who have entered the draft thus far are Rayan Rupert<\/strong><\/a>, Nadir Hafir<\/strong><\/a>, and Tristan Vukcevic<\/strong><\/a>. 19-year-old twins Zvonimir Ivisic<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0and Tomislav Ivisic<\/a>, Ousmane N’Diaye<\/a>, <\/strong>and Mihailo Boskovic<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0are the other players to submit their names.<\/p>\n

The NBA<\/a> Combine will be held May 15-21 in Chicago. Early entrants will have until June 12 to withdraw from the June 22 draft.<\/p>\n

Who is Bilal Coulibaly ?<\/h3>\n

Coulibaly is a late-blooming 18-year-old. The 6-foot-8, 194-pound Frenchman stood at just 5-11 two years ago. He currently plays alongside projected No. 1 draft pick Wembenyama for Metropolitans 92 (Paris) of LNB Pro.<\/p>\n

Coulibaly averages 4.2 points and 2.7 rebounds in 16 minutes over 22 appearances in 2022-23. He has come on strong lately, scoring in double-figures in four of his last nine appearances, including the previous two outings. Coulibaly posted his first double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds the last time out against Limoges CSP (April 15).<\/p>\n

“My defensive abilities allowed me to get on the court and impact the team in a positive way,” Coulibaly told ESPN’s draft expert Jonathan Givony<\/a>. “I credit being part of the professional group early on, being integrated quickly into the group and having a coach as great as Vincent Collet guide me. My confidence grew as opportunities came.”<\/p>\n

“I got better physically and technically. I’m focusing on my jump shot, but really I work on everything to be as complete a player as I can. The key has been just being confident and implementing in games what I learn in practice.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Film Study<\/h3>\n