This has already been a successful offseason for the Washington Wizards.
Getting the #1 overall pick, who will presumably be the face of your franchise for the next 10-15 years, is an awesome feeling for Wizards fans after so many years of searching to find that.
With the additions of either AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson, along with four-time All-Star Trae Young, Top 75 All-Time Player Anthony Davis, and the young cast of players coming back, this is the most talented roster a Wizards team has rolled out in some time.
Therein lies the problem for former 1st round pick Bilal Coulibaly. With a more stacked roster comes fewer spots to go around, and after the emergence of many of Coulibaly’s teammates, his run as a Wizard has reached its breaking point, potentially.
There may not be enough minutes for Bilal Coulibaly
Next season, the starting 5 could be Trae, 3rd-year wing Kyshawn George, the 1st overall pick, and a pair of bigs in Davis and Alex Sarr. That leaves the bench, which will have Bub Carrington as the backup Point Guard, and a pair of second-year players who flashed in their first year, Tre Johnson and Will Riley.
So, where are the minutes for Bilal?
He’ll have an advantage over Cam Whitmore, Julian Reese, Tristan Vukcevic, and Justin Champagnie going into training camp, but even as a 9th man, how many minutes does that leave the 4th-year wing?
That is also assuming the Wizards don’t bring in a free agent to add to the depth, and this could mean that Coulibaly is the odd man out of the rotation in the 2026-27 season.
Bilal’s run as a Wizard could be coming to an end
Bilal will only be 22 at the start of the new season, so this certainly does not cast doubt on his ability to continue contributing in the league. I’m just not sure if it will be for the Wizards. In a season after trading high-volume shooters like Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma, I think many Wizards fans expected a jump from Bilal that didn’t come, and instead felt like a regression in a lot of ways.
Despite still being a very good defender, his offensive game seemed to have plateaued in the 25-26 season, which leaves a lot to be desired as someone you’d want a part of your core going forward.
The flashes are there, but his inconsistency that resulted in a sub 32% from 3 or not having a go to move on offense makes it hard for him to garner playing time on a wing-heavy, shoot-heavy team like the Wizards.
Coulibaly has certainly been a tease of sorts for Wiz fans given his potential, but next season is the year we find out if he’s anything more than that.
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