Bilal Coulibaly’s upside, length set tone for Wizards rebuild

Will Dawkins has a type.

Before he was hired as the Washington Wizards general manager this month, the executive was part of an Oklahoma City front office that, year after year, drafted players who seemed to fit into the Thunder’s specific mold: Long-armed, athletic, versatile players with upside who, in many cases, were flying under the radar.

The No. 7 pick selected by the Wizards last week, Frenchman Bilal Coulibaly, checks those same boxes. 

Dawkins is betting the future of the Wizards on an 18-year-old who stands 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan and a tantalizing skill set that’s ripe for further development. In France, Coulibaly was not only a teammate of draft sensation Victor Wembanyama —  but he managed to carve out a central role for the Metropolitans 92 after starting the year on an under-21 team. 

Coulibaly’s growth over the past few years is a big reason why draft experts believe the forward has one of the highest upsides in this year’s class, even if Coulibaly averages just 5 points per game with Metropolitans 92. The Wizards more than agree with that assessment, which is why they even traded up from No. 8 to No. 7 to select the Frenchman. 

The selection also manages to say a lot about the direction of Washington’s new rebuild. After trading Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, this regime appears willing to roll the dice in trying to find the team’s next star and doesn’t mind if it takes years for that player to prosper. 

“Anytime you can add someone who has a long-term lens in how they work and how they approach the game, I think those people fit in the walls really easily,” Dawkins said. “On the court, (if) you have guys who have versatile and take a defensive-first approach, and who at a young age have a maturity as a competitor, you get excited about those guys. … He’s got a long way to go, he’s got a lot of stuff to work on, but there’s a lot there to tap into.”

The challenge for this Wizards’ regime will be to successfully foster that development. Washington’s recent track record in that regard hasn’t gone well. Washington’s last four first rounders — Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija, Corey Kispert and Johnny Davis — were all touted for their potential, but none of them blossomed into stars. 

Still, Coulibaly has enough promising attributes that will make his development interesting to monitor. Overseas, Coulibaly excelled as a cutter — finding his way to the paint by making timely reads based on the defense. And his explosive athleticism helps him attack the rim. Coulibaly told reporters that he has spent a lot of time watching Brooklyn’s Mikal Bridges and the Clippers’ Paul George — two wings with a strong defensive presence who can fill it up offensively as well. 

Coulibaly might not be done growing, too. And that could be in a literal sense. From ages 15 to 17, Coulibaly experienced a dramatic growth spurt in which he went from 5-foot-6 to 6-foot-3 to 6-foot-8. Asked if he thinks he’s still growing, Coulibaly said, “I don’t think. I’m sure about that,” he said. 

Perhaps the most famous example of a player growing after being drafted is two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Over the course of his rookie season, Antetokounmpo went from 6-foot-9 to 6-foot-11 at 19 years old. The Milwaukee Bucks star also put on a considerable amount of weight and muscle to withstand the physicality of the NBA. Antetokounmpo now bulldozes opponents and his strength is a core feature of his game. 

But Coulibaly undergoing an Antetokounmpo-like transformation still may be a pipedream. At the very least, though, the Frenchman understands he’ll need to put on weight and bulk up. 

“I’m ready for that,” Coulibaly said.

To grab Coulibaly, the Wizards sent the Indiana Pacers the eighth pick and an additional two second-round selections in the trade that helped them move up a spot in the draft. 

Why not just wait until No. 8? On a recent podcast, ESPN draft analyst Jeremy Woo shared a rumor he heard: The Thunder — Dawkins’ old team — were “very close” to moving up to No. 7 from No. 12, which left Washington “worried” the Thunder were going to take Coulibaly. After all, Coulibaly fit the profile of a Thunder-like player.
 
The Wizards weren’t about to get scooped. 

“As we got closer to draft night, we realized he was our guy,” Dawkins said. “And when he got in the room, Mike (Winger) made sure we got our guy.”