Bilal Coulibaly Suffers Nightmare Thumb Injury In Eurobasket: Expected To Miss 6-8 Weeks

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse for the Washington Wizards, the basketball gods decided to throw another curveball. Or, in this case, a busted thumb. Bilal Coulibaly, one of the few bright spots on this perpetually rebuilding roster, is now slated to miss the start of the 2025-26 season. It’s a classic Wizards storyline: a glimmer of hope, immediately followed by a dose of harsh, unforgiving reality.

The Bad News With Coulibaly’s Thumb Injury

The team announced Friday that Coulibaly underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. The injury, sustained while he was playing for the French national team in the FIBA EuroBasket tournament, is the kind of off-season nightmare that front offices dread. You send your promising young talent to get valuable international experience, and he comes back broken. Fantastic.

Coulibaly’s performance in the tournament was already raising some eyebrows, as he averaged a less-than-stellar 6.3 points. In France’s final game, an 80-70 loss to Georgia that sent them packing, he went completely scoreless. Now we know why. It’s a lot harder to shoot a basketball when your thumb is hanging on by a thread. This injury isn’t just a setback; it’s a full-blown disaster for a team desperately trying to convince its fans that there’s a plan. Any plan.

Another Blow to the Wizards’ Endless Rebuild

Let’s be honest, losing Coulibaly for any amount of time is a gut punch, especially with the trade rumors going on this lowered his value. After a rookie season where he showed flashes of potential, he had a breakout sophomore campaign, averaging 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. He was finally starting to look like the cornerstone piece the Wizards envisioned when they snagged him with the No. 7 pick in the 2023 draft.

Now, that progress is on hold. The Wizards have spent the last few years assembling what they hope is an “interesting young core.” It’s a collection of high draft picks and unproven talent, including Alex Sarr, Tre Johnson, and Will Riley. But a core is only as strong as its key players, and Coulibaly was arguably the most important of the bunch. His absence leaves a gaping hole in the lineup and puts even more pressure on the rest of the kids to step up. Good luck with that.

Who Steps Up with Coulibaly’s Thumb on the Mend?

With Coulibaly sidelined, the Wizards will have to scramble to fill his minutes. The most likely candidates are Cam Whitmore, acquired from the Rockets, and second-year guard Kyshawn George. Whitmore showed some scoring punch in Houston, but he’s still a raw talent. So, essentially, the Wizards are replacing their best young player with more question marks. Even the veterans on the team are question marks.

Final Thoughts – This Thumb Injury Is Bad Timing

Frankly, this injury couldn’t have come at a worse time. The Washington Wizards were supposed to be taking a step forward this season. Not a giant leap, mind you, but at least a respectable shuffle toward mediocrity. Now, even that seems ambitious. FanDuel has their playoff odds at +3000, which is basically the betting equivalent of a shrug and a “maybe next decade.” With this latest news, those odds are looking generous.

So, as the Wizards prepare for another season of “development,” they’ll have to do it without one of their most crucial pieces. It’s a brutal start for a team and a fanbase that are starving for something, anything, to be excited about. Get well soon, Bilal. The Wizards need you. Probably more than they’re willing to admit.