On Wednesday, Washington Wizards head coach Brian Keefe revealed that Bilal Coulibaly would be making his season debut in their upcoming game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, per The Athletic’s Josh Robbins. Coulibaly, the seventh overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, underwent surgery in mid-September after tearing a thumb ligament during the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 tournament. The Frenchman’s return is just what The District ordered.
What Do The Wizards Need Bilal Coulibaly For?
After loading Coulibaly’s player profile page on the ever-popular Basketball Reference, one nickname will pop up: Bilalcatraz.
More than just a humorous play on his given name, this sobriquet references Coulibaly’s widely-recognized status as one of the game’s best defenders. At 6-foot-7 and 195 pounds, he’s an absolute dog at that end, hounding players at the point-of-attack with relative ease. He’ll guard every perimeter player, even on the same possession. He’ll lock up star players, and then tell them about it.
With that in mind, the Wizards aren’t just a team that’s started the season with a 1-3 record. They’re a team that ranks 29th in opponent’s points per game (129.5), 25th in defensive rating (119.5) and 23rd in personal fouls (25.0 per game). In short, they’re a team that needs their best perimeter defender back.
Will Bilal Coulibaly Start When He Returns?
Early in the 2025-26 season, the evolution of Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George has been grabbing the headlines.
Sarr spent too much time floating around the 3-point line as a rookie and wasn’t even good at it. As a result, the former second overall pick shot just 39.4% from the field. That’s a poor number for any player, especially one that’s seven feet tall. Fortunately, between his offseason weight gains and decision to do more work around the rim, he’s now a force inside the paint. In four games, he’s averaging 19.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.0 blocks per game. He’s also shooting 55.2% from the field, a dramatic improvement from the previous season.
George, the 24th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, didn’t quite meet expectations in his rookie season. However, he’s shown that the offensive growth he displayed in this year’s FIBA AmeriCup tournament was real. It’s only been four games, but he’s looked much more comfortable and capable with the ball in his hands. He’s currently averaging a team-high 20.3 points per game on .537-.538-.600 shooting splits. For good measure, adding 9.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals per game.
Is There Really A Positional Battle?
It’s tempting for people to pit players against each other, whether they’re opponents or teammates.
On the one hand, comparison really is the thief of joy, causing people to miss the forest for the trees or look gift horses in the mouth. On the other hand, sports are inherently competitive, and passionate spectators want to see the best of the best. With that being said, the questions about Coulibaly’s role for the upcoming season are darker than they need to be.
To be clear, George’s rise truly should have no bearing on Coulibaly’s. For starters, the positional overlap has been overstated. More than ever, positional lines can seem welded when talking about wings, forwards and bigs. Yet, their physical tools and relevant skills suggest that George is a 3 (small forward) and Coulibaly is a 2 (shooting guard).
Specifically, George can slot in at either the 1 (point guard), 2 or 4 (power forward), but he’s a true 3. These players are typically a team’s most versatile contributors and are often counted upon offensively. Coulibaly could be utilized as a 1, 3 or even a 4 in certain matchups, but he’s a true 2. These are often the most agile and athletic perimeter players, can be used as secondary or tertiary playmakers, and have a knack for slashing or shooting (or both).
With that being said, Coulibaly’s offense being behind his defense isn’t just evidence that he needs more work at that end. Frankly, he isn’t even hard-pressed to be a leading scorer. He can and will put the pressure on opposing defenses. In fact, he scored 15 or more points in 24 of the 59 games he played last season. He was averaging 18.8 points per contest four games into 2024-25. Even so, he’s more of a team-oriented contributor.
Demotions On The Way?
What complicates the discussion about Coulibaly’s return isn’t George’s growth but the presence of CJ McCollum and Khris Middleton. Due to their experience, accomplishments and ability, they’re more or less stabilizing forces for the starting lineup. As a result, the Wizards will be loathe to demote either one of them.
Yet, McCollum has averaged 13.3 points per game on .321-.259-.769 shooting splits. For all the concerns about Coulibaly’s offense, he was playing better than that last season and at least offered high-level defense. Meanwhile, McCollum has never been a reputable defender as his athletic limitations at that end are glaring. In comparison, Middleton’s defensive value has been depreciated after numerous injuries. Nevertheless, he’s quietly been a reliable scorer, averaging 14.0 points per game on 47.7% shooting from the field (35.7% from 3).
If Coulibaly was to start over either of them, McCollum could be the more sensible choice. However, moving him into the starting lineup while moving George or McCollum at point guard is also an option. In this scenario, the Wizards would be taking Bub Carrington out of the first unit.
Carrington, the 14th overall pick in 2024, was considered a draft steal last season. Yet, he’s seemingly hit the dreaded sophomore wall, averaging fewer points (8.0) and assists (3.8) per game than in 2024-25. Indeed, both George and McCollum have higher assist averages than him this season. His finishing ability in particular has been problematic, lending itself to him shooting an abysmal 34.5% from the floor.
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