Wizards rookie Bilal Coulibaly has the NBA scouts’ stamp of approval

Josh Robbins of the Athletic is currently writing a four-part series on the development and future of the Washington Wizards’ most prominent young players. (subscription required) As part of this project, he is talking to different scouts from other NBA teams to determine what the consensus and perception around the league for these young players are. His piece on Wizards rookie Bilal Coulibaly is evidence that the 19-year-old Frenchman was the right pick for Washington.

All the scouts Robbins has talked to seem impressed by Coulibaly’s athleticism. There seems to be no doubt about Coulibaly’s physical or athletic tools, one of the scouts saying, “he’s pretty straightforward with his athleticism, size, and quickness,” while another said:

"“He’s long, he’s athletic. He’s got a good feel for the game. He has all the tools to be a really good defender. He can make an open shot, and he’s great in transition. So, he hits a lot of the tools, skills, and even the feel threshold that you want from elite wings.”"

It’s unsurprising that Coulibaly’s athleticism is the first thing that caught the attention of the scouts. His effortless strides and bounce jump off the screen when you see him play. It’s not clear whether he will immediately stand out as a rookie in a league full of elite athletes, but he undoubtedly has the raw athleticism that will pop at some point in his career. Another scout went so far as to say Coulibaly “has NBA-caliber size, athleticism, speed, all that stuff, they’re all A-pluses.”

Another high-level skill the scouts made a point of highlighting was Coulibaly’s ability to stay in front of offensive players at the point of attack. His potential as a multi-positional defender impressed the talent evaluators.

Hearing all of this from scouts who watch hundreds and hundreds of prospects professionally is a positive sign for Coulibaly’s future. One evaluator likened him to Nicolas Batum, who is still a high-level role player in the league after 15 solid years of experience. If Coulibaly has a career similar to Batum, who in his prime was an excellent all-around wing, the Wizards should be happy.

Yet, “the sky is the limit” for Coulibaly, according to a scout. The Washington Wizards certainly hope so. A Batum-like career of excellent role-player contribution for a long time would be nice, but in an ideal scenario, Coulibaly would also be a primary on-ball creator. Naturally, scouts highlight that on-ball skills have a long way to go for the 19-year-old. That will probably be the biggest swing skill that will determine whether Coulibaly can reach the “sky”.

Even if he doesn’t reach that sky-high ceiling, the evaluators still have a high opinion of his floor. One scout said, “There’s probably no scenario where he categorically fails just because he’s too big and too athletic to not have some impact on the game.”

We need to wait and see how Bilal Coulibaly’s career shakes out and whether the ultimate outcome is closer to his ceiling or his floor. Regardless, for the first time in a few drafts, the Washington Wizards seem to have made the right, high-upside pick.