Bilal Coulibaly, a prominent player for the Washington Wizards, underwent a surgical intervention on Friday to address a ligament issue in his right thumb, the organization communicated. Coulibaly’s ailment, which originated while he was representing France in the FIBA Eurobasket tournament, is “likely” to have repercussions on his participation at the commencement of the 2025-26 season, according to a report by ESPN.
Across the half-dozen contests he participated in during the event, Coulibaly, who is 21 years old, recorded averages of 6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds, maintaining a shooting accuracy of 41.2% from the field.
Coulibaly, who was selected as the No. 7 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, is building on a successful second year. He achieved averages of 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists, while being a starter in 59 games for Washington.
During his initial season, Coulibaly, who was previously a teammate of San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama on Metropolitans 92 in France, was gradually incorporated into Washington’s lineup. He posted averages of 8.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists, starting in just 15 games out of his total of 63 appearances. In both of Coulibaly’s initial seasons with the team, the Wizards have not been able to achieve the milestone of 20 wins.
What implications does this hold for the Wizards?
The potential absence of Coulibaly at the beginning of the season would represent a substantial setback for Washington. The Wizards have been assembling one of the more compelling young groups in the league, with Coulibaly, former No. 2 overall selection Alex Sarr, and newcomers Tre Johnson and Will Riley at the forefront. Cam Whitmore, previously with the Rockets, along with AJ Johnson and Kyshawn George, both former first-round picks, are also projected to contribute to the rotation this season.
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Johnson, who was chosen as the No. 6 overall pick this past summer, was regarded as one of the most skilled 3-point shooters in his draft class. During the summer league games in Las Vegas, he successfully made 14 out of 24 field goal attempts (58.3%) and converted 5 out of 11 attempts from beyond the 3-point line. Johnson currently holds the second-highest probability (+850 according to FanDuel Sportsbook) of securing the NBA Rookie of the Year title, trailing only Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 pick from the Mavericks.
While the foundation of Washington’s roster is centered around its young talent, the Wizards still possess a couple of seasoned players who are expected to receive substantial playing time this season: CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton. McCollum joined the team during the summer as part of the transaction that involved Jordan Poole moving to the New Orleans Pelicans, whereas Washington brought in Middleton at the trade deadline of the previous season as part of the Kyle Kuzma deal.
Although Washington was not anticipated to contend for a playoff position this season, there were expectations for the team to demonstrate progress after securing 18 victories in the previous season and 15 in the year before that. The Wizards are currently listed at +3000 to reach the playoffs this season, as per FanDuel, which represents the second-lowest odds within the conference, surpassing only the Brooklyn Nets (+3500).
