Bilal Coulibaly Continuing to Gain 2023 NBA Draft Steam
One of the hottest names in the 2023 NBA Draft cycle currently, Bilal Coulibaly continued to gain steam on Sunday with another solid postseason performance.
Helping the Metropolitans 92 to the LNB Pro A finals with a win over Asvel, Coulibaly poured on 16 points, four assists and two steals.
At just 18-years-old, Coulibaly has shot up prospect rankings worldwide over the last year, first dominating on the Mets 92 under-21 team. He averaged 21.9 points, 2.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game, earning himself a spot on the Pro A team.
Even more, he’s now been a pivotal piece to the team’s title run, which they’ll look to cement in the coming weeks. Coulibaly has turned his high-flying offense and stout defense into game-changing weapons for Boulogne-Levallois.
What's helping even more than his on-court play is rumors that a team in the lottery range has promised to draft him. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman reported on a live stream Saturday that a team before pick No. 14 has allegedly promised to draft the blossoming french prospect.
Coulibaly fits Toronto’s recent mold well, and Oklahoma City has a growing history of selecting lengthy international players with defensive upside. The Thunder have the twelfth pick and the Raptors the thirteenth, respectively.
Victor Wembanyama, Coulibaly’s teammate and soon-to-be No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, agrees he should continue to climb.
The 2023 NBA Draft will kick off on Thursday, June 22 at 7 p.m.
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