Wizards Guard Battling Through Adversity

The Washington Wizards have a player going through trials and tribulations.

Jeremy Brener | Dec 9, 2024

Dec 3, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket against Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) during the second half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

In this story:

Washington Wizards

Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly continues to grow each and every day in the NBA.

As a 20-year-old in just his second NBA season, growth is the name of the game for Coulibaly, which means he will be privy to some successful nights and some not-so-successful nights.

While he has been enduring a struggle on the offensive side of the ball, his defense continues to improve. That has earned him some praise from head coach Brian Keefe.

"Yes, Bilal hasn’t made some shots lately, but that has not impacted his energy, his effort, his defense," Keefe said h/t The Athletic insider Josh Robbins. "I actually think his defense is actually improving in the last week. Look at some of the guys he’s guarded and what they’ve done against him, it’s not been that great. And that’s a testament to who he is: battling through adversity. And that’s part of the deal, and he’s accepted that, and he’s embraced the challenge and got a big block at the end of the game.”

The Wizards are throwing Coulibaly right into the fire, setting him up to fail in the short-term. The Wizards are giving him high amounts of minutes and asking him to guard some of the best players in the world while also needing to contribute on the offensive end. It's a lot to ask anyone, let alone a second-year player still trying to get his feet wet in the league.

However, these challenges Coulibaly is facing now is preparing him to be one of the focal points for the Wizards in the grand scheme of the franchise. Eventually, these struggles will subside and it will turn into what the Wizards hope to be their next franchise player.

Coulibaly and the Wizards are back on the court Friday against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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

Published Dec 9, 2024

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.