The Washington Wizards made a clear commitment to raising their floor when they traded for Trae Young. Young, a four-time All-Star, led Atlanta to no fewer than 36 wins in each of the past five seasons and reached 40 in four of the five.
One of the primary reasons to believe Young can help Washington make a similar leap toward relevance is how his experience with Dyson Daniels could shape Bilal Coulibaly's future.
Coulibaly, 21, has become one of the faces of the Wizards' untapped potential. He's a 6'7" defensive specialist who has proven to be a dynamic playmaker on defense, as well as a positionally versatile player who can match up against players with multiple styles and strengths.
Though Coulibaly is far from a carbon copy of Daniels, he has the tools to thrive alongside Young in a relatively similar manner to how the 2025 All-Defensive First Team honoree managed to.
Daniels finished second in voting for Defensive Player of the Year during his lone full season with Young in 2024-25. Daniels has spoken candidly about how Young made "life a lot easier" and noted that their "games kind of really complement each other. Him on the offensive end, me on the defensive end helping him out," per Tomer Azarly of Clutch Points.
Though the specifics may not align perfectly, Coulibaly has a chance to cement his status as a franchise cornerstone in a remarkably similar role to Daniels' alongside Young.
Bilal Coulibaly can be the new Dyson Daniels for Wizards star Trae Young
Coulibaly currently ranks in the 95th percentile in defensive positional versatility and the 99th percentile in matchup difficulty as a defender, per Basketball Index. That shows not only an ability, but a willingness to take on top-tier offensive players at multiple positions.
That much is illustrated by the fact that the five players he's spent the most partial possessions defending this season are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Maxey, Devin Booker, and Jalen Brunson.
With Brandon Ingram, Paolo Banchero, and Jalen Johnson also appearing in the top 10, Coulibaly's versatility is unavoidable. He not only matches up against All-Stars at multiple positions, but is a force to be reckoned with away from the ball.
Thus far in 2025-26, Coulibaly is averaging 1.4 steals and 1.0 block per game, and ranks in the 89th percentile in passing lane defense, per Basketball Index.
That seemingly suggests that Coulibaly can be the type of disruptive force that Washington needs alongside Young. One can't help but grin at the fact that their new All-Star has already seemed to figure out how to play alongside a defensive-minded non-shooter in Daniels during his time in Atlanta.
Compounded by the presence of five-time All-Defense honoree Anthony Davis and criminally underrated rising star Alex Sarr, Coulibaly could help Washington build a tremendous defense to take pressure off of Young.