The Washington Wizards roster has come a long way in a very short amount of time since general manager Will Dawkins stepped into the front office.
Washington went from having one of the worst teams in the league to having arguably the most intriguing young core in the NBA, to now having legitimate playoff aspirations thanks to the additions of Trae Young, Anthony Davis and AJ Dybantsa.
The Wizards' revamped depth chart puts the spotlight on nearly every roster spot, but specifically on the players who find themselves fighting for minutes in Brian Keefe's rotation.
One player in specific whose future in D.C. is suddenly up in the air is Bilal Coulibaly, who could force the Wizards to choose between which former first-round pick they want to continue investing their time in.
Wizards may have to choose who to develop: Bilal Coulibaly or Cam Whitmore
The Wizards' depth chart isn't exactly finalized as of now, but certain players' roles have all been confirmed regarding Brian Keefe's rotation.
Obviously, the expected starting lineup will consist of Trae Young, Kyshawn George, AJ Dybantsa, Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr.
Off the bench, the most likely candidates will be Bub Carrington, Tre Johnson, Khris Middleton, and Deandre Ayton.
Bilal Coulibaly will almost certainly get extended looks for his role in the rotation because of his two-way potential and the fact that he's a homegrown product the team drafted, but entering year four, the 21-year-old hasn't shown enough growth or consistency for Washington to be confident in his future in D.C.
As for Cam Whitmore, his future is in question as well, especially after being benched by Keefe ahead of his blood-clotting issue during his lone year in Washington, but the upside as an elite scorer makes his development a bit more intriguing.
Washington's roster is getting full, and having an abundance of talent is a good problem to have, but eventually, it feels like the Wizards may be forced to make some tough decisions moving forward.
Names like Justin Champagnie and Tristan Vukcevic come to mind as well, but given the gap in potential and the fact that Washington doesn't have as much invested in either player, the decisions for those names aren't being monitored as closely.
Coulibaly's offseason clips alone have offered excitement, and if the choice truly did come down between the French product and Whitmore, it feels likely that the front office would stick with their former selection over Whitmore, but that's far from a guarantee.
Regardless, time will tell which player can find a role in Keefe's rotation and who's around for the long haul.
Add us as a preferred source on Google