Bilal Coulibaly’s defensive excellence shines despite offensive struggles

Bilal Coulibaly’s sophomore season has been a roller coaster. Offensively, the 20-year-old has faced a steep decline after a promising start. 

While Coulibaly is averaging 12.3 points on 46.8 percent shooting for the season, his recent form tells a different story. Over the last four games, he has managed just 5.3 points per contest, shooting a mere 21.9 percent from the field and a troubling 10 percent from beyond the arc on 2.5 attempts per game.

Yet, his struggles with the ball in hand have been counterbalanced by his remarkable defensive prowess against some of the NBA’s elite.

In three matchups against Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young, spanning 24 minutes of direct defensive assignments, Coulibaly has held Young to just eight points on 2-of-20 shooting, including a staggering 0-of-11 from deep.

The defensive excellence doesn’t stop there. Against the Boston Celtics, Coulibaly faced Jayson Tatum twice this season, limiting the All-Star forward to 5-of-13 shooting while keeping him scoreless from three as well. Similar success has been seen in matchups against the Orlando Magic’s Franz Wagner and Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry. 

Wagner has been held to 28.6 percent shooting under Coulibaly’s watch, while Curry managed just 14.3 percent. Across all four players, only one three-pointer has been scored against the Frenchman, and it came, predictably, from Curry.

Coulibaly's season-long defensive statistics are equally impressive. Guards matched up against him are shooting just 40.8 percent, and forwards fare only slightly better at 41.3 percent. Both figures are well below the league average of 46.4 percent, highlighting his ability to disrupt scorers at multiple positions.

Wizards head coach Brian Keefe has expressed no concern over his young star's offensive slump, focusing instead on the positives he brings to the court.

"We have different combinations that are playing together now so some of it is lineup combinations he's getting used to," Keefe said following Washington's recent loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. "We played a lineup we hadn't played before and that's a totally different thing for him too. I’m not worried about him at all. The defense was impressive."

The former seventh overall pick did flash offensive potential earlier in the season. In the first five games, Coulibaly recorded three games with 20 or more points and drained 10 three-pointers in the process. While consistency has eluded him since, these glimpses hint at the two-way star he could become.

For now, Washington is content to exercise patience with its young core. With the team likely to land another high draft pick in the stacked 2025 class, there’s no rush for Coulibaly to shoulder the partial burden of franchise leadership. 

However, should his offensive game stabilize, the Wizards could find themselves with a cornerstone player — or a highly valuable trade asset capable of commanding a significant return.

As Coulibaly continues to hone his craft, one thing is clear. His defensive impact is already elite. If he can pair that with even a modest offensive resurgence, the Wizards will have a game-changer on their hands.