Wizards Notes: Bilal Coulibaly, Kyshawn George, Brian Keefe, draft

Bilal Coulibaly didn’t ease his way back. He announced himself.

The third-year wing delivered an impressive season debut on Thursday in the Wizards’ loss to the Thunder, finishing with 16 points, eight rebounds, four assists, a steal and three blocks in just 24 minutes, as detailed by Josh Robbins of The Athletic.

Coulibaly, 21, missed all of preseason and the first four games after thumb surgery last month. The injury occurred while playing for France at EuroBasket 2025.

He’s now eligible for a rookie-scale extension next summer after the Wizards exercised his fourth-year option for 2026-27.

“I’ve worked too much to be passive,” Coulibaly said. “Every possession everybody’s got to feel me.”

Coach Brian Keefe immediately put him back into the starting lineup, sliding Bub Carrington to the bench.

Keefe likes the long-term defensive spine of Coulibaly, Kyshawn George and Alex Sarr, believing they could form the backbone of a top-tier defense over time.

“He thinks we can really defend and be on top of the league at some point,” Coulibaly said.

More Wizards

— George told Grant Afseth of RG.org that he has been working on both leadership and aggression. Oh, and that he wants to be one of the best players in the league. With Carrington now leading the second unit, George should get more on-ball chances with the starters.

— David Aldridge of The Athletic notes the young group is showing signs of progress, but Washington may still need lottery luck in 2026. The draft class is top-heavy with names like Darryn Peterson, A.J. Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer at the top.

— Former Wizards John Wall and Brendan Haywood are joining local broadcasts as analysts on Monumental Sports Network, per Scott Allen of The Washington Post.