Inside The Wizards

Former Wizards Teammate Shows Love to Bilal Coulibaly

Bilal Coulibaly has received praise from a former Washington Wizards teammate of his.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 19, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) reacts after finishing an alley-oop dunk against the Charlotte Hornets in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Dec 19, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) reacts after finishing an alley-oop dunk against the Charlotte Hornets in the fourth quarter at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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The Washington Wizards are slowly building a team through their rebuild, which means many players on the roster will come and go.

The Wizards opted to make a decision over the offseason that saw Deni Avdija traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for Malcolm Brogdon and the draft rights to Bub Carrington.

Part of the reason why Avdija was traded is the fact that Bilal Coulibaly, last year's No. 7 overall pick, made a decent impact in his rookie season and proved to be worth more of an investment as the team's future small forward than Avdija. However, Coulibaly and Avdija became and remain very close.

Following the Wizards' latest win against the Charlotte Hornets, Coulibaly had a highlight-reel alley-oop that earned a lot of attention.

The emphatic dunk earned some praise on social media from Avdija.

Coulibaly has taken advantage of the role increase with Avdija no longer on the roster. The second-year pro from France is averaging 12.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game for the Wizards, all of which are an improvement from his rookie year.

Meanwhile, Avdija's numbers are pretty similar in his first season with the Blazers, averaging 12.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists.

Considering the fact that Coulibaly is younger and is making far less money compared to Avdija, it looks like the Wizards made a smart decision by sticking with youth over experience. It's only been 25 games played up until this point, but the fact that there is so much potential that has gone untapped with Coulibaly means that the sky is truly the limit from the Frenchman.

Coulibaly and the Wizards are back on the floor tonight as they take on the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET.

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

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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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