At small forward, the Washington Wizards start Bilal Coulibaly
Age in 2028: 24
Comparison: OG Anunoby with a better three-point shot
This dream starting five would be incomplete without this year’s seventh overall pick Bilal Coulibaly. The perfect wing to tie together a strong starting unit, his defense and athleticism perfectly mesh with the already established guard tandem in this possible universe.
He has been heavily compared to OG Anunoby, a borderline All-Star who has consistently fallen just shy. His jump shot isn’t great, although it’s far from bad, the Toronto Raptors have wings and forwards taking up nearly the entire roster, and untimely injuries have all held him back from reaching that level.
With Coulibaly, he is already incredibly similar in terms of ability to what Anunoby was entering the league. However, he is more polished as a playmaker and his jump shot is further along. He could very easily become one of those incredibly versatile forwards who can guard four positions and do anything on offense for the Wizards.
We have seen players with similar builds do great things next to star guards. Andrew Wiggins, Kawhi Leonard, and Mikal Bridges have all been key parts of Finals teams in that exact situation, great play from Bilal Coulibaly next to Jordan Poole could be a sign of great things to come.