Washington Wizards Rookie Bilal Coulibaly is Gathering League Wide Attention from Impressive Play

The Washington Wizards recent draft pick is starting to gather attention from national media after another impressive outing against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Not many draft picks have hit for the Washington Wizards in recent years.

In fact, the Wizards are known for not drafting well at all.

But with new President of Monumental Basketball Michael Winger and General Manager Will Dawkins, changing that narrative will be important in the rebuild.

READ MORE: Wizards Lose Close Game to 76ers

Both Dawkins and Winger have both been a part of NBA rebuilds in the past and have seen how to effectively build a competitive basketball team.

Their first order of business in Washington was drafting a centerpiece that they could build the team around.

Dawkins saw how bright French guard Bilal Coulibaly's future could be and took a swing at acquiring his draft rights via trade from the Indiana Pacers.

Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) dunks the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks in the second quarter at Capital One Arena.  / Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

That swing looks like a home run right now.

Coulibaly has already shown massive improvement. 

"He is going to be somebody that's going to be a force to reckon within this league," Wizards guard Jordan Poole said about Coulibaly, "What's impressed me the most is probably just his demeanor... he feels like he belongs here."

Coulibaly doesn't just feel like he belongs in the NBA, he proves it.

Every game he makes an impressive play but last night this dunk on 76ers forward Paul Reed blew up on social media.

I mean seriously, is he really only 19? This dunk is crazy 🫣 Bilal Coulibaly is well on his way to being a star pic.twitter.com/oHlPQsnx4R

— Gage Sheets (@SheetsG23) December 7, 2023

"His feet were not in position to play good defense," Coulibaly said about the dunk. "I got to drive it and I was wide open (so) I said, 'Yeah I'll dunk it'."

His athleticism is off the charts, but his three-point shooting has been the real surprise this year.

Coulibaly is shooting 41.2 percent from deep which is much better than what was expected of him as most were thinking his shooting would take time to come around.

His length is creating problems for everyone he is guarding defensively.

.@Bilaal_6 with the steal and the slam 👀 pic.twitter.com/utI649QYLz

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) December 7, 2023

This season he ranks 37th in the NBA in steals with 22.

Those 22 steals rank second in rookies behind his former teammate in France the San Antonio Spurs Victor Wembanyama.

How Wizards Bilal Coulibaly Is Besting Spurs Victor Wembanyama

Coulibaly has already shown he has all the tools to be a star in the NBA and as his game expands and develops even further it is going to explode.

Washington fans were already excited about the 19-year-old's future but now the whole league is taking notice.

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