The Washington Wizards have spent the last several seasons waiting for Bilal Coulibaly’s offensive game to catch up with his defense.
Entering Year 4, that wait is becoming increasingly important.
Coulibaly has already established himself as one of Washington’s most versatile defenders, routinely drawing difficult assignments against opposing stars. But questions remain about how much he can contribute offensively — particularly as a shooter.
During a recent appearance on Locked On Wizards, Greg Finberg argued that this could be the most important season of Coulibaly’s young career.
“[Bilal Coulibaly is] still incredibly young,” Finberg said. “But you can only hide behind this potential label for so long before you got to shed it and it’s got to be something. And I think this season is big for Bilal, with expectations and a big role, to be able to sort of say, ‘Look, I know I’m great defensively, but I improved my shot and I can be something on offense.’ And I think that’s why this is probably the biggest year of his career.”
Finberg’s comments highlight one of the biggest questions surrounding Coulibaly entering the season.
What exactly does he become offensively?
Washington doesn’t necessarily need Coulibaly to develop into a high-volume scorer. The Wizards now have considerably more offensive firepower around him, including Trae Young, AJ Dybantsa, Anthony Davis and a developing Alex Sarr.
That could actually make Coulibaly’s job simpler.
Instead of being asked to create offense consistently, Coulibaly could settle into a role built around defending the opponent’s best perimeter player, cutting to the basket and knocking down open shots created by Washington’s other offensive threats.
Finberg made that point later in the discussion, arguing that this could finally be the type of roster that allows Washington to properly evaluate Coulibaly.
“I think the best look for Bilal, the best way that you’ll be able to evaluate him is when he’s on a good team,” Finberg said. “I think he has a skill set that’s better suited or best suited for a competent winning team where he can just settle into a role of point-of-attack defensive stopper.”
That makes this season particularly fascinating for the 21-year-old.
Coulibaly doesn’t have to become a star overnight. But with the Wizards moving away from the developmental environment that defined his first three seasons, there should be fewer questions about what Washington actually needs from him.
Defend. Cut. Run the floor. And, perhaps most importantly, make enough open shots that opponents have to respect him.
Coulibaly still has plenty of time to develop.
But Year 4 could finally begin answering whether all that potential can translate into the two-way player Washington envisioned when it drafted him.
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