Wizards Receive Brutal Bilal Coulibaly Injury News

The 2023-24 NBA season has been a disappointing one for the Washington Wizards. They have the worst record in the league at 11-57, guaranteeing a losing season before the All-Star Break even rolled around.

Washington has also been eliminated from even qualifying for the NBA Play-In Tournament. To make matters worse, one of their long-term pieces has suffered an injury that will keep him sidelined for the remainder of the season.

Bilal Coulibaly, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and former teammate of Victor Wembanyama fell during Saturday’s game against the Chicago Bulls. The fall was a nasty one, as Coulibaly has been diagnosed with a right wrist fracture, per ESPN.

The good news is that Coulibaly’s injury will not require surgery. But, with only 14 games remaining in a lost season, there is no reason for the Wizards to push their youngster, as they are just playing out the schedule.

Coulibaly was one of the few bright spots for Washington this season. One of the youngest players in the NBA, as he won’t turn 20 until July, he more than held his own against the best basketball competition the world has to offer.

He averaged 8.4 points per game, making a respectable 34.6 percent of his 3-point attempts on 2.9 attempts per game. He scored in double-figures in five straight games before his season was cut short.

Rather quickly during the season, he saw his role with the team on offense expand as the coaching staff was comfortable putting the ball in his hands more. He never looked overwhelmed, which was certainly encouraging.

A multi-positional defender standing 6’6”, Coulibaly has the tools to develop into an excellent two-way player. The Wizards are certainly hoping that is the case, as they don’t have much to be excited about currently heading into the future, as they are in the early stages of a rebuild.