Could Bilal Coulibaly Win Rookie Of The Year?

Is Bilal Coulibaly On Track To Win Rookie Of The Year?

Having goals in life is essential to being successful. They help drive you to be the best version of yourself and to continue to grow. Over the summer, the Wizards had a lottery pick. Of course, they would have loved to draft Victor Wembanyama. In fact, I’m sure every team in the league wanted to draft him. He is what many feel is a generational talent. If healthy, he could be one of the best to ever play the game. What we have seen thus far this season from Wemby has been impressive as he is having a major impact on both sides of the floor. 

Wemby was the ultimate PAINT PROTECTOR against the Grizzlies with 8⃣ BLK ⛔️

Victor Wembanyama joins Tim Duncan and David Robinson as the only Rookies in Spurs franchise history to record 8+ blocks in a game! pic.twitter.com/1B58djqqhA

— NBA (@NBA) November 19, 2023

While the Wizards failed to trade up in the draft to acquire Victor Wembanyama, they were able to trade up to get Bilal Coulibaly. He has been a blessing in disguise for the Wizards. Although he has professional basketball experience playing in France, expectations weren’t really high for him. With those circumstances, he has taken full advantage of every opportunity he has had thus far with the Wizards and is actually exceeding expectations. He is currently ranked seventh in the race for Rookie Of The Year.

https://t.co/wWGNmWoaNH’s updated rookie ladder:

1. Chet Holmgren
2. Victor Wembanyama
3. Ausar Thompson
4. Jordan Hawkins
5. Dereck Lively II
6. Brandon Miller
7. Bilal Coulibaly
8. Jaime Jaquez Jr.
9. Keyonte George
10. Craig Porter, Jr.

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 22, 2023

Coming into the NBA, we knew he could defend. He is already often times asked to guard the opponent’s best players. At 6’8 weighing just under 200 pounds, Bilal can guard every position at ease on the floor if he has to. He is quick, athletic, and strong at age 19, the ceiling is high for him. He reminded many of Portland Trailblazers G/F Mattisse Thybulle early on. One major difference is Thybulle doesn’t provide much help offensively. Bilal has shown already that he has the ability to shoot the three well, take you off the dribble, and score in the open court during fastbreaks.

Despite the loss, Bilal Coulibaly played his best game as a pro:

20 points (career-high)
7 rebounds
3 assists
8/12 FG
4/7 3pt
4 steals

The kid has arrived pic.twitter.com/sICssYCroY

— Greg Finberg (@GregFinberg) November 12, 2023

With him not being as big as Wemby, you have to wonder could Bilal have the better career longterm in the NBA. Maybe the Wizards have a blessing in disguise with Bilal. Athletes as big as Wemby don’t last long in the NBA, you can ask Yao Ming about that. As it stands now, Bilal is on pace to rise in the Rookie of the Year standings. The sky is the limit for him. He will only continue to gain more opportunities as the season goes on. Bilal Coulibaly has a great chance at winning the Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Award.