By drafting Bilal Coulibaly, the Wizards made a gutsy pick

WASHINGTON — The Washington Wizards’ new front-office leaders refused to play it safe in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft.

They made the ultimate high-upside, high-risk decision Thursday night, choosing Bilal Coulibaly, a 6-foot-8 French wing with undeniable potential but also relatively limited high-level experience. Coulibaly can best be described as a long-term project, someone who, if developed properly and patiently, could become a cornerstone of the Wizards’ rebuild.

Will Dawkins, the Wizards’ new general manager, likened the 18-year-old, one of the youngest players in this year’s draft, to “a ball of clay.”

“It could take some time, but from where he went in a short amount of time to where we think he can go, that’s the exciting part,” Dawkins added. “And we’ll embrace that. We’ll put resources around him, try to help him maximize himself. At the end of the day, he has the physical tools, but he’s also a very skilled player. So once that comes together, I think you’ll have the player we’re looking for and the reason why we drafted him so high.”

Technically, the Wizards didn’t draft Coulibaly. The Indiana Pacers selected him seventh, and the Wizards traded the draft rights to the eighth pick, University of Houston power forward Jarace Walker, and a pair of 2028 second-round picks to the Pacers for him.

The risk doesn’t stem from parting with a pair of second-round picks. Washington has plenty of second-round picks in its cupboard from trading Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns and from other recent moves.

The risk revolves around Coulibaly’s floor — and the Wizards’ longstanding tendency not to develop many of their young players. Washington instead could have chosen safer options at No. 8, including UCF power forward Taylor Hendricks.

In drafting a wing with great size but also a raw overall game, the Wizards took a page straight out of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s playbook. Last year, for instance, the Thunder traded up to No. 11 to draft 6-foot-10 French swingman Ousmane Dieng.

It’s not surprising that the Wizards followed the Thunder’s blueprint. Dawkins spent 15 years, including last year, with the Thunder. New Monumental Basketball president Michael Winger worked in the Thunder front office from 2010 to 2017.

Drafting a player like Coulibaly is emblematic of the Oklahoma City way: When evaluating a prospect, Thunder executives tend to value what a young player can become with the right developmental approach instead of what he cannot do at the time he’s drafted.

RT if you are ready to see @Bilaal_6 hoopin' in a Wizards jersey 🎥@Metropolitans92 | @MedStarHealth pic.twitter.com/1oSKg8T9x9

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) June 23, 2023

Coulibaly is a late bloomer who started playing basketball at 10 years old. His coaches played him at guard until he benefited from a growth spurt several years ago.

He opened the 2022-23 season splitting time playing in the under-21 French league, where he dominated, and for the Metropolitans 92 senior team, the same team that featured Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 overall pick Thursday by the San Antonio Spurs.

By January, Coulibaly was playing exclusively for Metropolitans 92 after one of the team’s players left the squad and another player suffered an injury. By mid-April, Coulibaly emerged as a full-time starter, and he played heavy minutes for Metropolitans in the French playoffs.

“Everything happened so fast,” Coulibaly told Washington-based reporters in a conference call after he was drafted. “I was projected to be in the next draft. … The playoffs helped me a lot, finishing the season so late. I’m just grateful. I’m just grateful to be here.”

After Metropolitans 92’s postseason ended recently, Coulibaly, who speaks English fluently, visited Washington to spend time with Wizards officials.

“He comes from humble beginnings,” Dawkins said. “Nothing was handed to him. We had a real deep conversation, like, ‘What drives you? What motivates you?’ There’s going to be some setbacks for all rookies. They’re going to be in a different location. The spotlight’s going to be a little brighter here. ‘What’s going to drive you? What’s going to motivate you? What’s going to push you? And are you ready for those things?’

“And his personality is: ‘Bring it on. I’m ready for it.’ And that’s what I love about him.”

The Wizards will not need Coulibaly to be an immediate difference-maker. Far from it, in fact. In the last week, the team agreed to trade Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porziņģis, the first two moves in a long-overdue reset.

In the short term, Coulibaly figures to be an asset on defense because of his positional size and athletic ability.

Though he’s commonly said to be 6-foot-6, Coulibaly insisted when he spoke with reporters Thursday night that he’s 6-foot-8. He reportedly has a 7-foot-2 wingspan. When asked whether he thinks he’s still growing, Coulibaly answered, “I’m sure about that.”

Washington made one other draft pick Thursday, selecting 6-foot-11 center Tristan Vukčević with the 42nd pick.

Vukčević, 20, plays for Partizan, a team in Belgrade, Serbia.

Dawkins said it’s to be determined whether the Wizards will stash Vukčević in Europe for the upcoming season.

Wizards officials intend to be patient, including with Coulibaly.

“With him, you see what’s going on down the line,” Dawkins said. “We won’t take shortsighted approaches in the draft. We’ll take the guy we think will be the best long-term player, the best long-term fit. And with him, it’s going to take a little while. We know that, and we have the confidence in the coaching staff, and we have the support from ownership, to be able to take that approach and make sure that we’re not settling and we can go take a risk, or we go take further time to do something.

“And with him, we don’t feel like it’s a risk. We feel like he’s a player that can come in and play and just continue to chip away, continue to get better. But his future’s much brighter than his current (skill set).”

GO DEEPER

Analysis, fits for all 58 NBA Draft picks from John Hollinger and Sam Vecenie

Related Reading

Aldridge: For Wizards moves to make sense, you must embrace the long game

(Top photo of Adam Silver and Bilal Coulibaly: Wendell Cruz / USA Today)