Entering the offseason, fans around the league, especially fans of the Washington Wizards were extremely optimistic about what general manager Will Dawkins was building in the DMV.
The optimism only grew this offseason with several intriguing additions headlined by the likes of Tre Johnson, Will Riley and Cam Whitmore.
Not to mention the veteran acquisition of CJ McCollum, who many felt would be the leader to help the young core take the next steps forward.
However, the optimism about the potential stride of the young core entering this season was countered by the pessimism surrounding Bilal Coulibaly's showing during his time with Team France in FIBA EuroBasket play.
The French product had all eyes on his performance overseas after opting to skip the opportunity to play with the Wizards' young group during Summer League.
With Coulibaly's struggle to find any offensive efficiency, mixed with his over aggressive defensive play leading to foul troubles, the overwhelming reviews were that his EuroBasket play may suggest that the Wizards swung and miss on yet another lottery pick in terms of Couliably.
And while the verdict is still out on if that is true or not, it's safe to say that the oversized guard's start to the regular season with the Wizards is proving that the overreactions from EuroBasket play was blown a bit out of proportion.
Coulibaly hasn't been perfect by any means, and he still hasn't taken the major leaps in the areas that the Wizards have been hoping he could since drafting him.
Nonetheless, he has shown flashes of improvements in certain areas that suggests he could still be worth the wait when it pertains to his development.
The versatile playmaker is a raw prospect, but his skillset and size make the prospect of what he could develop into intriguing.
In three games since returning from injury, Coulibaly is averaging 13.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists, while shooting 42.4% from field goal range and 35.7% from beyond the arc.
In addition, the 6-foot-7 guard is averaging 1.3 blocks and 1.3 steals per game, proving to be the steady defensive anchor the Wizards have known him to be.
Coulibaly still has a far ways to go in his development, but with his solid start to the season it just goes to prove that his poor showing in EuroBasket play meant absolutely nothing, especially in terms of his potential in the NBA.