Bilal Coulibaly's defense shuts Trae Young down

The Wizards likely aren’t going to win a lot of games this year, and that’s okay. Washington rolled out the youngest starting five in the league to start the season, and the team is (and should be) prioritizing the development of its young players more than a win-loss record.

Management in D.C. has historically drafted pretty poorly, but with a new front office known for scouting talent, the hope is that the Wizards can turn their draft luck around, and that starts with Bilal Coulibaly. Washington selected the Frenchman seventh overall in the 2023 NBA Draft despite being just 18 years old. Coulibaly was a very raw prospect, having hit a growth spurt late in high school, and he’s still growing. In the draft process a little over a year ago, Coulibaly was 6-foot-6, but now measures 6-foot-8 without shoes.

As a rookie, Coulibaly showed promise as a defense-first wing with room for improvement in shot-creation. He averaged 8.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game on 43.5% shooting and 34.6% from deep in his first year. In a small, three-game sample size this season, Coulibaly has taken an offensive jump to the tune of 16 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 50% from the field and 35.7% from three. He’s also getting to the free throw line three more times per game and shooting 11.1% better at the charity stripe than last year.

However, it’s his defense that truly shines above all. On Monday, Coulibaly shadowed All-Star point guard Trae Young for nearly the entire night in Washington’s 121-119 win over the Hawks, and his blanket coverage held Young to just 2-of-15 shooting with six turnovers. Young’s 13.3% shooting clip was his worst rate in over two and a half years and his third-worst regular season shooting percentage of his entire career.

The combination of Coulibaly’s growing height, 7-foot-3 wingspan and thin frame give him all the tools necessary to be a lockdown wing defender. He’s quick enough on his feet to stay in front of his man, but when Coulibaly does get beaten, he has the length and athleticism to recover quickly and force a poor shot. Here’s his defense on Young’s final shot of the game, which sealed the Wizards’ first victory of the season:

(Video Creds: @chasedcsports on Twitter)

Young is a faster player than Coulibaly, so he’s able to create that initial separation and bait him with a pump fake. However, Coulibaly immediately changes direction back toward Young and his arms are long enough that he can still impact the shot. It turns into a desperate heave, which falls inaccurate.

Here’s another example of Coulibaly playing exceptional on-ball defense. He shuffles his feet to stay in front of Young, but he’s also able to get physical because of his growth and the added muscle he put on in the offseason. Coulibaly combines these two abilities to pester Young into losing control of the ball out of bounds, which results in an Atlanta turnover:

Coulibaly also has excellent instincts for a 20-year-old. One of the biggest knocks on him coming into the draft was his lack of experience at a high level (he played just 27 games in France’s top league with Victor Wembanyama prior to being selected), but his feel for the game has already improved so much in just over a year. Coulibaly seems to know exactly where he needs to be in order to make plays and how to position himself to do so, and he’s played just 66 NBA games! His ability to predict what’s going to happen and react quickly is impressive already.

I’m incredibly excited to see how Coulibaly’s defense progresses even more throughout the season and expect the Wizards — centered around Coulibaly and Alex Sarr — to build their identity around the defensive side of the ball. I do want to make one last shoutout mention to Coulibaly’s offense, though, as his rapid improvement with off-the-dribble scoring has been slightly surprising.

Coulibaly operated as mostly an off-ball, spot-up shooter last year who spent most of his time setting screens for others or working to get his teammates open. It’s obvious that, after an offseason of ball-handling and working on his offensive game, Coulibaly now has the confidence to create his own shot more frequently, which has opened up more opportunities for others in turn. One of his favorites to put to work now: the pull-up jumper.