Bilal Coulibaly has been one of the most overlooked factors for the Washington Wizards heading into next season.
Since the arrival of incoming rookie Tre Johnson and the acquisition of former first round pick Cam Whitmore, the oversized guard has been seemingly an after thought when it comes to the talent the Wizards have on the roster.
Not to mention, the sophomore leaps of Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George are becoming the major talking points in Washington for the upcoming season.
However, Coulibaly may be poised for not only a breakout season himself, but he could be gearing up towards silencing all the outside noise from his biggest doubters.
Bilal Coulibaly could be poised for a statement season.
It's easy to understand why the hype surrounding Coulibaly took a turn for the worse over the last couple months.
The French product showed flashes of improvement this past year, but he also showed regression in areas that he thrives at during his rookie campaign.
Following a season-ending injury, Coulibaly's second season was cut short, before he got the opportunity to return to play in FIBA EuroBasket play for Team France this offseason.
Overseas, Coulibaly showed more signs of concern than he did promise.
Defensively, the guard's over aggressive play got him in foul trouble that almost made it hard to watch his performances.
Offensively, there wasn't too much to rave about, at least not in terms of any clear progression in his game.
To end things in EuroBasket play, Coulibaly suffered yet another injury that not only ended his offseason early, but now puts the guard in position to miss the start of the season with the Wizards.
All that to say, it's easy to understand why doubts are beginning to outweigh the optimsim.
However, Coulibaly's potential is what the Wizards bet on when they selected the versatile playmaker No. 7 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft and as a raw prospect, Washington's front office expected his development to be more of a project than a quick start.
Coulibaly has all the tools to succeed, between his size, skillset, instincts and flashes of improvement he did show when healthy, there's plenty of reason to believe in his potential.
There's still plenty of time for the Wizards guard to silence his doubters and the ongoing disrespect over the last couple months could be the exact fuel that fires Coulibaly up to make a loud statement this coming season.