Bilal Coulibaly Looking Ahead of Schedule in NBA Preseason

This time last year’s forward Bilal Coulibaly was likely only on a select few draft radars, unlike his French counterparts Victor Wembanyama, Sidy Cissoko and more.

But after a year of rising through the ranks, Coulibaly is now looking to do the same with the Washington Wizards, who selected him No. 7 overall. And so far, he looks ahead of schedule.

After playing well for the Metropolitans U21’s squad last season, Coulibaly was able to move up a rank, eventually becoming vital to a deep playoff run.

He only averaged 5.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game, but quickly figured out the pace and style of the LNB Pro A.

Now, in just his second preseason game with the Wizards, Coulibaly is already making an impact. Against Charlotte on Thursday, he tacked on 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting, five rebounds, one assist, one block and a whopping four steals.

Coulibaly didn’t show a ton in the scoring department in the first game, but was still able to nab three steals, bringing his grand total to seven in just two games.

It hasn’t been crazy performances for the still-19-year-old, but as the project pick to end all projects, his fitting in on the NBA court already has him ahead of schedule.

If he can continue to hone his shooting — which has looked good in limited sample so far — as well as his general skills, the sky should be the limit for the lengthy 6-foot-6 forward.

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