Mar 1, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) drives past Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams (5) during the fourth quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Wizards Must Have Patience with Bilal Coulibaly

Originally posted on Washington Wizards on SI
By Tyrone Montgomery | Last updated Mar 8, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Every company in America wants and hopes that their employees can do a little bit of everything in every department for the job. That is often times referred to as being cross-trained. The same goes in the NBA, where teams are hoping that their players become two-way players and can contribute both offensively and defensively. That is certainly the case for the Washington Wizards with Bilal Coulibaly.

It is no secret that Coulibaly is a work in progress for the Wizards. Despite that, he is still a rising star and was invited to participate in the All-Star festivities this season. While he is already flourishing defensively, he still can touch up on his game offensively.

Bilal Coulibaly in transition⚡️ pic.twitter.com/37lOJVW1QJ
— Greg Finberg (@GregFinberg) March 6, 2025

Being asked to defend the opposing team's best wing player every game isn't a task for the weak. Coulibaly has had to work on his conditioning for that very reason. He has put in a lot of work dating back to last season, as coming into the league as a rookie isn't easy.

If you think about it, his life and schedule have been so busy that he hasn't had any time to rest. He has had to go through the 2023 draft, the Summer League, his rookie year, then the 2024 Olympics and is now in the midst of his second regular season. He even was busy this year during the All-Star break. As a result, Coulibaly may be hitting a sophomore wall.

The journey for Coulibaly has taken a toll on him mentally and physically. He has already played the most minutes per game for the Wizards this season.

As Coulibaly continues to grow through rough patches this season, Washington must exercise patience with him. The trio of rookies for the Wizards feel like a big part of the future. However, with Coulibaly's size, strength, and ability to do everything for this team on both ends of the floor, he feels like a major piece of that puzzle as well.

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