Washington Wizards Rookie Bilal Coulibaly 'Had Some Really Good Moments' Says Coach Wes Unseld Jr.

The Washington Wizards are seeing early signs of development from rookie forward Bilal Coulibaly.

The Washington Wizards are off to a 2-0 start to the preseason and even though the wins will be erased before the regular season gets started the lessons learned along the way will stay with the team. 

One of the players that needs the lessons the most is rookie forward Bilal Coulibaly who is entering his first NBA season on a team in the midst of a rebuild hoping he'll be one of the cornerstones of what the Wizards will become.

"I thought he was really good," Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr. said about his rookie following the team's win over the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday. "He had some really good moments. Defensively [he was] very active [and] he was very disciplined as far as coverage. Stepped out [and] made some shots which is good. So he's playing with more and more confidence each night. That's, I think, a pretty good indication of his development."

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Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) drives to the basket as Charlotte Hornets forward P.J. Washington (25) defends in the third quarter at Capital One Arena / Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Playing 20 minutes and 11 seconds in his first preseason game Coulibaly contributed five points on two of four shooting but also contributed one block and three steals on the defensive side of things. 

His six rebounds, four defensive and two off the offensive glass were second-best. 

Truth be told, however, that wasn't against NBA talent. 

Game 2 brought the Hornets and Coulibaly's first test against talent at this level. 

Coulibaly got the start in the Wizards' second preseason game just like he did in the first, and again was a solid contributor to a winning effort.

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This time the rookie spent just over 28  minutes on the floor and improved his shooting percentage while making five of his eight shots from the floor and two of three from beyond the arc. 

He turned in another five rebounds, another block, and upped his steal total by one getting four off Charlotte ballhandlers. 

Coulibaly also got credit for an assist while only turning the ball over once and finished with 12 points in a six-point Washington win.

The stats won't stay for long, and neither will the win-loss record, but the early play and visible growth by the Wizards' latest first-round pick is already providing reason for optimism in the early days of this rebuilding effort.