Wizards' Rookie Bilal Coulibaly Missing One Key Piece

Bilal Coulibaly's strong rookie season, one in which he broadcast enough of the defense and athleticism that factored into his seventh-overall selection in the 2023 NBA Draft, has done a lot of heavy lifting in how important he is to the Washington Wizards' rebuild.

He's yet to work out most of the kinks he'd previously demonstrated in his game, only getting worse as a shooter every year while succumbing to a new half-dozen injuries every season. It always seems to be something with Coulibaly, who's had to watch as the fellow prospects with whom he shares a locker room supersede him on the squad's totem pole despite logging fewer years in the big leagues.

Some fans have had enough of the disappointment, going so far as to advocate for the front office pulling the plug on the Coulibaly experiment. I'd argue, however, that this is a matter of his struggling to fit into a system that hasn't yet narrowed him into a team-specific role. He's too good a defender and too young a prospect to give up on, as general manager Will Dawkins preached when he touched on the concept of patience before this season's start.

Washington Wizards Forward Bilal Coulibaly — Mar 10, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Washington Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly (0) during a a game against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Plenty's been written about the bigs and off-ball scorers needing a point guard, but he may need a table-setter more than anyone.

Addressing the Holdups

He hasn't done himself any favors in continuing to slip as a shooter. The 34.6% rate he posted as a rookie was as good as it ever got, with the numbers slipping every season since before falling all the way down to 24.4% through 2025 on a marginal uptick in volume.

Injuries have certainly hurt him in this department, with a lack of continuity factoring into the shaky jumper just as much as the wrist he busted over the summer. Those 3-pointers are also accounting for more of his shot diet than ever, now accounting for a shade under 46% of his total field goal attempts.

I blame that imbalance on his lack of a fluid role in a halfcourt setting. He, like many of his athletic teammates, is a thrill in transition, running and dunking in the open floor as well as anyone in the league, but he's missing someone who can help get him some of those assisted shots. Coulibaly's rim-finishing numbers back up the idea that he's at his best at the hole; he just needs an entry passer to find him on the run down low, while most of Washington's current guards are looking to score first.

Washington Wizards Guard Bilal Coulibaly — Nov 16, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) attempts a slam dunk against the Brooklyn Nets during the first quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

Hammering Out a Role

He may not produce the scoring output of your average seventh-overall pick, but that's not the only measure with which we use to judge defensively inclined prospects. Even in his current inefficient state, the team isn't actually losing anything on offense. He is, after all, still just 21 years old, and there's reason to believe that peers like Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George have made the masses forget that few players can keep up with those anomalous development curves.

Coulibaly has proven enough value as a raw physical specimen to deserve the time to audition in a more manicured context, as the coaching staff is still seeing how comfortable Coulibaly is handling the scoring himself. I predict that by the time they're ready to start winning and can sort the players into specific roles, he'll look like a better fit on the Wizards.

Granted, he'll need an improved 3-point shot by then. Other teammates like Sarr and Bub Carrington have already made big jumps in their own efficiency numbers, though, and it's worth checking out if Coulibaly's able to follow suit once he's able to take control of his health.

The upcoming extension season has some fans worried as to how Washington will handle the choice between re-signing him for a risky amount of money or letting him walk, but the few deals they've handed out indicate that they're still prioritizing team-friendly annual figures. The Wizards were never intent on rushing their projects through the process of fitting into the NBA, and Coulibaly, as Dawkins previously stated, is no different.

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