The Jazz Could Stun the NBA Drafting This International Prospect At 9
Thanks to a tweet from the prospective 2023 number one pick Victor Wembanyama, the chatter surrounding his current teammate in France, Bilal Coulibaly has strengthened tremendously over the past few days. Coulibaly, once seen to go in the late first-to-early second is now getting some hype to go within the late lottery, and even top 10.
In what would be a massive jump for the young forward, we’ve seen his game develop immensely over the past 1-2 years while playing in France. Once seen as a raw, developmental prospect now has a more refined game than we’ve ever seen from him, possessing great upside both on offense and defense. A super young, elite athlete like Coulibaly at his peak could be one of the best selections in the draft.
Many teams recognize this now, which has since led to rumors of there even being a “draft promise” to Coulibaly from an anonymous team in the lottery. Unsure of exactly which team gave him this promise, Global Scouting on Twitter gave us a little info surrounding the projections:
One piece of this that should stick out to Utah Jazz fans is that the front office is clearly interested in what Coulibaly could potentially bring. If his highest positioning is 9th, and the lowest being 16th, about six other teams would be considered in the race between Utah. If there were any chance of his stock falling within the teams in the middle, the Jazz would be there to pick him up with their second first rounder.
However, considering the “draft promise” that was handed out a month before the draft even starts, it’s a little unlikely we see him drop that far to 16. Making it to where if the Jazz want to get their hands on Bilal, they would have to take him at 9th overall; the highest he’s projected to go.
While it may seem a bit high to some to select Coulibaly so early on, the crazy upside Coulibaly brings makes the gamble worth it.
Think about it: he’s 6’8”, 18 years old, has an incredible 7’3” wingspan, can run and jump with the best of them, and he’s played against the same competition Victor Wembanyama has played with over the past year. With his mechanics and technical skills improving by the day, it’s hard not to love him as an overall prospect.
If the Jazz were extremely interested in what Coulibaly could bring to Utah’s rebuild, taking him at 9 may not be too wild after all. Any prospect with Wemby’s stamp of approval is probably pretty good at basketball, and the Jazz could be in agreement come June 22nd’s NBA Draft.
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