Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Bilal Coulibaly: Rookie Report Card (First Quarter), Updated Career Projections

Originally posted on FortyEightMinutes | By Chris Crouse | Last updated 12/13/23

Rookie Bilal Coulibaly has been one of the bright spots for the Wizards in a season that has been deemed as a “reshaping” campaign.

Coulibaly, who was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 draft, has shown promise for the franchise. He’s been a constant member of Wes Unseld‘s rotation, seeing the fifth-most minutes for Washington during the first 22 games of the season.

Coulibaly’s offense was seen as a work in progress entering the draft and his defense was expected to be his calling card. The opposite has occurred so far during his rookie campaign with his true shooting percentage ranking 4th among the 23 rookies who have seen at least 12 minutes per game so far. His defensive rating ranks 18th within the same parameters.

It’s a small sample size during a volatile stretch of the NBA season, so putting too much stock into Coulibaly’s play so far isn’t the wisest task when evaluating his long-term prospects. Examining his play in conjunction with his pre-draft body of work and how he’s handled himself in everything leading up to his Wizards rookie season is best at this time.

It would be a monumental upset for Coulibaly to win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award, though he should be in contention for a second-team all-rookie spot. He’s likely to be a building block for the Wizards for the next several years even if he doesn’t rise to stardom.

This article first appeared on FortyEightMinutes and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: