The Washington Wizards announced on Thursday that former lottery pick, and one of the best young talents on the team would likely miss the remainder of the season.
Washington announces the news after Coulibaly suffered a hamstring strain earlier this week. The French product was in the midst of his second season with the Wizards, where he showed flashes of his ability to be a reliable two-way player for Washington to build with moving forward.
However, with his season likely coming to an end, Coulibaly ends his sophomore campaign averaging 12.3 points, 5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals, while shooting 42.1% from field goal range and 28.1% from beyond the arc. The 20-year-old started all 59 games that he played in, missing only five games prior to this season-ending injury.
The injury comes at the same tiime that Coulibaly seemed to be acting as a sponge soaking in every bit of knowledge he could get from the Wizards' most recent additions, Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart. And while the guard likely won't get the chance to learn on the court from the veterans, he'll get a first row seat watching how they operate down the back half of the season.
Regardless, with Coulibaly's second season coming to an end, here's a look at what we learned from the guard.
Coulibaly has the tools to be a two-way force
Coulibaly showed throughout the season that he was more than just a defensive player. The guard impressed numerous times on offense as both a scorer and a willing passer. In fact, his playmaking ability may be one of the more underrated parts of his game.
If he can put his head down this offseason, and apply the knowledge that both Middleton and Smart offered, the sky truly is the limit.
However, it's also clear that Coulibaly has multiple areas he needs to work on.
Coulibaly has to improve his shooting percentage
Shooting 42.1% from field goal range isn't horrible. In fact, it's not actually bad, especially compared to his teammate Alex Sarr's 39.4% shooting from the field..But shooting 28.1% from beyond the arc almost turns you into a one-dimensional player on that end of the court.
Opposing teams will have little to no issue leaving Coulibaly open from three if he continues to shoot at that rate, and if he does, it could hinder his game as a whole by lowering his confidence.
If Coulibaly can put in work perfecting his jumper and truly become a threat from the perimeter proving he can knock down threes at a reliable clip, not only will it open up his game, but it will open up the floor for the Wizards on offense as a whole.
There's plenty for the 6-foot-8 playmaker to work on, but looking back on his season, Coulibaly showed plenty of promise.