Inside The Wizards

Bilal Coulibaly Named Wizards 'Jewel'

Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly is shining bright like a diamond.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 21, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Washington Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly (0) brings the ball downcourt against the Milwaukee Bucks in the third quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
Dec 21, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Washington Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly (0) brings the ball downcourt against the Milwaukee Bucks in the third quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
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Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly is making strides in his second season with the team.

The 20-year-old Frenchman is proving why the Wizards were smart to take him with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

ESPN writer Ohm Youngmisuk had praise for Coulibaly given his positive performance so far this season.

"Coulibaly is the draft jewel of the Michael Winger-Will Dawkins regime so far. He proved he was ahead of his development curve as a rookie when he averaged 8.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and shot 34.6% from 3 last season," Youngmisuk writes.

Coulibaly may not be the best player for the Wizards when they are a contender again, but his growth has proven that he will continue to develop and that he has some form of trajectory. That's more than what most of the current Wizards roster can say.

It remains to be seen how high Coulibaly's ceiling can go, but the Wizards have to like exactly what they are seeing from the second-year pro.

While he has dealt with his fair share of ups and downs, Coulibaly is showing that he can be one of the rising stars in the league, and that could put him on a path to be a key player for the Wizards for many years to come.

If the team can find the right players that Coulibaly can complement, the Wizards might have a ticket to get them out of the lottery and back into the postseason conversation.

Coulibaly and the Wizards are back on the court tomorrow night when they host Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET inside Capital One Arena. The game can be watched on Monumental Sports Network or streamed on NBA League Pass.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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