Bilal Coulibaly, who was born in France, is now a part of the Washington Wizards. He was the No. 7 pick in round 1 of the draft. He was traded from the Indiana Pacers for two second round picks. Coulibaly was born in 2004 and he is only 18 years old. Coulibaly is a cookie cutter basketball player—being 6 foot 6 inches, he’s well above the average height. He weighs 195 pounds. Coulibaly will play the small forward position.
The Wizards have been trading away their veterans on the team for fresher, younger players. Bilal Coulibaly will be the new No. 0 on the team. The last No. 0 was Gilbert Arenas, who got drafted for the Wizards in 2010. When Arenas got drafted, Coulibaly was six and playing soccer—he started to play basketball when he was 10.
General Manager Will Dawkins has reorganized the whole team in hopes of getting younger players. The Washington Wizards have had troubles in the past developing newer players, however, this will be a great test to see is Dawkins’s reorganization strategy has been effective.
On the night of the draft, Dawkins described Coulibaly as “a ball of clay.” Coulibaly said he considered himself a guard, but also a very flexible player. He also said he spends a lot of time watching Brooklyn wing Mikal Bridges. Coulibaly said, “I just want to see how he defends, how he attacks pick and rolls and everything.” What he lacks in experience, he makes up in youth—he’ll have plenty of time to gain experience. Most NBA players are drafted when they are in college, however, Coulibaly was drafted when he graduated high school.
The Wizards have been trading away their veterans on the team for fresher, younger players. Bilal Coulibaly will be the new No. 0 on the team. The last No. 0 was Gilbert Arenas, who got drafted for the Wizards in 2010. When Arenas got drafted, Coulibaly was six and playing soccer—he started to play basketball when he was 10.
General Manager Will Dawkins has reorganized the whole team in hopes of getting younger players. The Washington Wizards have had troubles in the past developing newer players, however, this will be a great test to see is Dawkins’s reorganization strategy has been effective.
On the night of the draft, Dawkins described Coulibaly as “a ball of clay.” Coulibaly said he considered himself a guard, but also a very flexible player. He also said he spends a lot of time watching Brooklyn wing Mikal Bridges. Coulibaly said, “I just want to see how he defends, how he attacks pick and rolls and everything.” What he lacks in experience, he makes up in youth—he’ll have plenty of time to gain experience. Most NBA players are drafted when they are in college, however, Coulibaly was drafted when he graduated high school.
