Two Wizards Receive Unwarranted Criticism

In a conversation about Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly, Tim MacMahon of ESPN had this to say about their offensive game: “Both of them are just bad offensive players. Both have big-time potential on the defensive end, but it’s hard to play two guys that are just that dreadful offensively.” No doubt, it feels like MacMahon didn’t hold back his feelings at all when it came to Sarr and Coulibaly, two young foundational players for the Wizards. While they haven’t lit up the scoreboards offensively in the NBA yet, they certainly have grown as players on the offensive end as time went on in their NBA careers.

Sarr is a player whose game grew as the season went on. It feels as if he needed to adjust to playing in the States, as the game of basketball is played differently here than it is in France. The Wizards relied on him heavily towards the end of the season, and that benefited him tremendously when it comes to his offensive game. Additionally, the Wizards rely on him for rebounding and being a defensive centerpiece to the team as well. Sarr was asked to do a lot for the team, with scoring not being the focus for him.

Coulibaly is a player that we saw grow. We observed his scoring increase from his rookie season to his sophomore season, as he improved his scoring by four points. That isn’t bad at all for a player MacMahon considers a bad offensive player. His confidence in himself was evident in his second season in the NBA, as he became more aggressive offensively. He has seen those shots go in before and realized how much of a contributor he is offensively to the team. That’s why he posted his first NBA career triple-double against the Brooklyn Nets this past season. That definitely isn’t bad for a player whom MacMahon considers to be a bad offensive player, especially because scoring is just one asset of the offense.

While both Sarr and Coulibaly have grown offensively, they have focused their attention more on the defensive end of the ball. It has been said that defense wins basketball games. That may be why the Wizards appreciate them and have them as the centerpiece of their future, as they both are starters. Despite their offense cruising to become in full effect, it is safe to say that their offensive mindset has felt a bit timid. Despite that being the case, they both seem to have a boost of confidence offensively as they continue to grow as players.