Wizards Forward is Poised for Breakout Year Due to Two Shooting Changes

Bilal Coulibaly was the first draft pick of the official rebuild, yet he is not the main course. AJ Dybantsa has that title, with Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George as the sides that complement the meal. Tre Johnson is like a fine glass of wine, and Will Riley is the dessert that surprises you.

This young core is clearly built like a restaurant meal. It just leaves Bub Carrington and Coulibaly in tricky spots. See, they are like the bread and appetizers. You like having them because they help you prepare for the meal, yet there could be more. Coulibaly seems to have found what was missing to take his game to that next level and join the main course.

The one part of Coulibaly's game that has always been missing is his three-point shooting. He has been a sub-30 percent shooter for most of his career. In his rookie season, he shot almost 35 percent from distance, but in his sophomore season he dropped to 28 percent from behind the arc. This past season, he started off struggling to shoot, but in the last two months, his shooting splits jumped off the roof.

Mar 21, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) advances the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Before last season's All-Star break, the forward shot 26 percent from three, but after the break he began shooting nearly 39 percent from distance. What could have sparked this, though?

Well, this scribe chatted with a few trainers over the past few months to learn why his percentages have increased. They all said the same two things: he is no longer dipping as much, and his hitch has disappeared.

Let's start with the second, because that is a huge reason Coulibaly is a better shooter now. That hitch makes the shot flow more smoothly. Think of it like a river, and the arms are the water. Water is never stationary; it is constantly flowing. Coulabalys' shot is flowing like that now, which makes it more comfortable and less funky.

The second is that dip, which creates a more open look. It may seem small, but that dip used to make the rim look smaller. Every time he would load up and dip that low, it was giving the defense about an extra second to contest the shot.

Bilal changed his jumper a bit 👀 pic.twitter.com/e3AuMfFdFN
— GT SportsTalk (@GT_SportsTalk) October 1, 2026

That naturally makes it difficult for Coulibaly to get a clean look at the hoop, turning it into almost a guess. The dip is still slightly there, but not nearly as bad. This will make his catch-and-shoot attempts go down more, as defenders will not be affecting the shot as much.

Now, does he still need to improve his shooting form? Yes. However, these small adjustments will help Coulibaly have a breakout year and show the player Will Dawkins and company decided to start the rebuild with.

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