The Washington Wizards selected Bilal Coulibaly with the seventh overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. After his rookie season, the young guard showed flashes but also plenty of room for improvement.
Coulibaly averaged 8.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists on 43.5% shooting from field goal range and 34.6 percent from three. In addition to his solid output on offense, the international product also showed potential on the defensive end averaging just under one steal (0.9) and one block (0.8) per game.
The Wizards have high hopes for their lottery pick and this one improvement could take his game to the next level.
If Coulibaly can create for others he’ll open the floor up for himself
In the Wizards' final matchup against the Celtics last season, the 20-year-old finished the game with 21 points, eight rebounds and three assists. A sign of what he can become with more development.
Coulibaly showed potential to be a threat on offense at times during his rookie season. The guard has the length and the skillset to be elite, but he’s yet to develop consistency on offense.
The main thing for Coulibaly is being able to create more opportunities for his teammates. When the ball is in his hands, opposing defenses don't seem threatened by his ability as a playmaker. The French product seemed to have his mind set up every time the ball touched his hands and he would either attempt to score or quickly pass up his looks.
Coulibaly’s inability to keep defenses guessing often allowed for teams to turn him one-dimensional. Being able to take away his threat to score seemed to limit the guard's game with his lack of playmaking.
If the 6-foot-8 guard can develop his game as a playmaker, it will not only open up the offense for the Wizards but himself. Keeping the defense second-guessing will put the guard in a position to capitalize on the defenses who play him upfront or stagger off on him.
When you look at the development of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks star took off to another level when he was able to put pressure on defenses as a playmaker. Even to this day, Antetokounmpo isn’t the most reliable offensive player in terms of shooting, but the two-time MVP plays to his strengths which has elevated him to another level.
With Coulibaly’s height and wingspan, he could be in the same mold as the Antetokounmpo in a sense. If he could become a playmaker and play to his strengths, he could make a huge leap. And as a 34% three-point shooter already, he has the chance to be even more dangerous in terms of offensive versatility.