Top Performance Series: Bilal Coulibaly
The idea behind the top performance series is to go back and watch the best, or one of the best, box score games of each prospect's season to see how they looked when they were performing at their highest individual level and what that might show us about their ceiling as a prospect.
Bilal Coulibaly is one of the hottest names in the 2023 NBA Draft and one of the highest risers over the past couple of months. A few months ago you might not find him in a consensus top 60 and now it would not take many mock drafts to find him selected in the first round and even the lottery.
He played multiple games with the Mets 92 main squad and Victor Wembanyama but also played multiple games with the lower division of the organization. While it may take a little longer to hit his ceiling compared to others due to how young and raw he is, it is still interesting to look at what that high end outcome may be.
Offense
Coulibaly does offer some on the ball upside but with the A division looked most comfortable playing off the ball.
The shooting form looks okay with just a few tweaks here and there but most of it all he will have to speed up the shot and eliminate the low dip. You could see the 18-year-old making wide open catch and shoot 3-point opportunities this next season but anything more than that will take some time.
Coulibaly is a 6-foot-8 and under 200 lbs. but combines that slight frame with some real athleticism and bounce that pops off the screen.
Even though the actual shot making needs to grow, he does a really nice job with his off ball movement and keeping proper spacing.
He is also going to be a nightmare for off the ball defenders with his perfectly timed cuts and attacks of the offensive boards.
The passing was a little bit of a mixed bag in this particular game. Coulibaly would do a nice job of moving the ball on one possession but then follow it up with a rough decision on the next or simply throw an off target pass.
While his ability to improve the 3-point shot will be important, the comfortability he has attacking off the bounce may ultimately decide his offensive ceiling.
He did initiate the offense for a handful of minutes in this game but there were only some very limited flashes of him really attacking and breaking down the defense with the ball in his hands.
The foundation for this is there for Coulibaly. He has the athleticism and even looks to show a creative handle at times but there is still some work to be done for it all to come together.
Defense
Regardless of Coulibaly’s age the defensive acumen he possesses would be impressive but considering his youth it makes it that much more enticing.
All of the physical tools we have discussed make for a great package of versatility with matchups but also a defensive playmaker with his quick twitch and explosive athleticism.
Often when you get this archetype of player they may not be able to pair it with the level of engagement and feel that you would want. That is not the case with Coulibaly.
He does a tremendous job of staying focused and active throughout an entire possession whether on or off the ball.
The rangy wing demonstrates this with perfectly timed stunt and recovers, peel switches and low man rotations.
His communication even stands out throughout a game which is again even more impressive for someone at his age.
If there is one aspect of his defense that could be more impactful it would be on the defensive boards. For all of the physical attributes we have discussed, he just wasn’t providing as much value in this area as you would want.
Ceiling
Slashing wing with secondary playmaking potential and primary perimeter defender.
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