Inside The Wizards

Wizards Guard Named Breakout Candidate

The Washington Wizards could see their second-year pro take another step in the right direction.

Jeremy Brener

Oct 24, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) drives to the basket as Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet (40) defends in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Oct 24, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) drives to the basket as Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet (40) defends in the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly looks to be even better than advertised in the early part of the season.

Coulibaly scored a team-high 23 points in the Wizards' 135-116 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in their second game of the season.

That's further evidence as to why CBS Sports writer Colin Ward-Henninger named Coulibaly the team's breakout candidate for the season.

"He's not going to be a 20-point scorer any time soon, but Coulibaly has already shown that he can impact the game with his defense and athleticism. Case in point, he averaged 1.7 steals per game during the preseason, using his length and anticipation to blow up even the simplest of actions (ignore the finish attempt on the other end, please ... Wiz gonna Wiz)," Ward-Henninger writes. "Coulibaly is far from a finished product, but if he continues his ahead-of-schedule development, he could be a major contributor this year in the nation's capital."

Coulibaly will get the green light this season to be one of the key players for the Wizards night in and night out, and that will do wonders for his development. He may not be the biggest player on the court every night for the Wizards, but he is expected to improve the more he has the ball in his hands.

Coming into the league, Coulibaly was viewed as a defensive-minded prospect, and a good one at that. It was the offense that needed improvement. But if Coulibaly can have more games like he did against the Cavaliers, he could find himself emerging as one of the better young two-way players in the league today.

Coulibaly and the Wizards will have another chance to showcase growth when they take on the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena tomorrow.

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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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