Wizards Guard Named Breakout Candidate

The Washington Wizards could see their second-year pro take another step in the right direction.

Oct 24, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) drives to the basket as Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet (40) defends in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly looks to be even better than advertised in the early part of the season.

Coulibaly scored a team-high 23 points in the Wizards' 135-116 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in their second game of the season.

That's further evidence as to why CBS Sports writer Colin Ward-Henninger named Coulibaly the team's breakout candidate for the season.

"He's not going to be a 20-point scorer any time soon, but Coulibaly has already shown that he can impact the game with his defense and athleticism. Case in point, he averaged 1.7 steals per game during the preseason, using his length and anticipation to blow up even the simplest of actions (ignore the finish attempt on the other end, please ... Wiz gonna Wiz)," Ward-Henninger writes. "Coulibaly is far from a finished product, but if he continues his ahead-of-schedule development, he could be a major contributor this year in the nation's capital."

Coulibaly will get the green light this season to be one of the key players for the Wizards night in and night out, and that will do wonders for his development. He may not be the biggest player on the court every night for the Wizards, but he is expected to improve the more he has the ball in his hands.

Coming into the league, Coulibaly was viewed as a defensive-minded prospect, and a good one at that. It was the offense that needed improvement. But if Coulibaly can have more games like he did against the Cavaliers, he could find himself emerging as one of the better young two-way players in the league today.

Coulibaly and the Wizards will have another chance to showcase growth when they take on the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena tomorrow.

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