Wizards' Bilal Coulibaly Out for Rest of Season

The Washington Wizards will be without a valuable part of their young core, losing Bilal Coulibaly to injury for the second season in a row.

According to Brett Siegel on X, "Bilal Coulibaly's season has come to an end, as the Wizards announce he will miss 4-6 weeks with a right hamstring strain. Coulibaly had his best season in Washington, averaging 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 42.1% from the floor."

This is a big hit for Coulibaly's development and for the Wizard's rebuild overall. The question is, how does this affect the Wizards, and who replaces him?

How does this hurt the Wizards?

The Wizards lost their best defender and a core piece of an already struggling defense. While he was better offensively this season, it will be his defense that the Wizards will miss most. Bilal defended the best player on the opposing team on most nights. He caused havoc in passing lanes and in the paint with blocks.

Being the top defender falls to Marcus Smart, even though Kyshawn George has shown elite defense at the forward position. Marcus Smart has the experience, but George projects to be an elite defender for years to come. Overall, losing Coulibaly hurts the Wizard's defense.

Who will replace him?

Coulibaly is usually slotted at the wing but the trade for Khris Middleton pushed him to shooting guard. Right out of the box, Khris Middleton with be the starting small forward, but when you look at shooting guard, Marcus Smart could be the best option. Bub Carrington could be a option at shooting guard, but that would take away from the guard depth on the 2nd unit.

Malcolm Brogdon is hurt and appears headed to a buyout, and AJ Johnson needs more minutes, but he's not ready to run point on the 2nd unit. With Marcus Smart, you replace the same level of defense, and Smart can still score and be productive, at least till the end of the season.