Bilal Coulibaly entered the preseason with a path that looked fairly straightforward. The Washington Wizards’ former No. 7 overall pick was heading into the final year of his rookie-scale deal, with restricted free agency on the horizon next offseason. In a normal setup, that kind of status usually comes with a clear opportunity to play.
But the Wizards’ offseason moves - plus what has played out so far in exhibition games - have made that picture a lot murkier.
Coulibaly’s defense has never really been the issue. What keeps coming up is the other end, where his development as a shooter still has not taken the kind of step the Wizards need.
That has shown up in preseason too. Against the New York Knicks in the opener, he finished with two points on 1-for-7 shooting.
In his second game, he managed just three points and did not make a field goal.
That kind of production is hard to overlook when the players around him are making the most of their chances.
Justin Champagnie has been one of the clearest examples. In the first preseason game against the Knicks, he posted 12 points on 3-for-5 shooting, along with two steals and two blocks.
Then against the Detroit Pistons, he followed that up with 12 points on 4-for-8 shooting and three steals. For a player who may have seemed like a long shot for a rotation spot earlier in the offseason, Champagnie has clearly made his case early.
The addition of Khris Middleton also complicates things for Coulibaly. Middleton is back with Washington after being traded there originally in the Kyle Kuzma deal, and then being traded away in the Anthony Davis trade. He is no longer the All-Star version of himself from his Milwaukee peak, but he still brings a skill the Wizards badly need: three-point shooting.
That alone makes his role easier to justify than a lot of the alternatives. There had been some talk that Middleton could function more as a veteran voice in the locker room than a heavy-minute contributor, but a three-year, $17.6 million contract does not look like the type of deal handed out to someone who is just going to sit. There are veteran minimum players for that.
And with Middleton in the mix, plus Champagnie outperforming him early, it becomes harder to find the minutes for Coulibaly. Right now, his spot in the rotation looks anything but secure.
In Other News...
Anthony Davis Is Already Stirring Reactions Before His Wizards Debut
Anthony Davis has not played a minute for the Washington Wizards yet, but he is already giving the team a little extra buzz. The Chicago native and longtime Packers fan took to Instagram with a challenge tied to the Packers-Bears game, setting off the sort of social-media back-and-forth that only an NFC North rivalry can produce. Bears fans noticed, and the comments quickly turned into playful ribbing over the game and the familiar split loyalties that come with being from Chicago.
The exchange had a little more edge after Green Bay's win, with one Bears receiver stepping in to answer Davis directly and push the trash talk a step further. For Wizards fans, it is a reminder that Davis arrives with plenty of personality attached to his name, and his season opener on October 21 will come with a bit of added attention well before he ever settles into a Washington uniform. [Read more 🡒]
Wizards Young Core Is Starting To Force A Tough Rotation Call
The Wizards preseason is already starting to look like a sorting exercise, with Washington leaning on a group of recent draft picks and young talent that has been piling up over the last few years. In the win over Detroit, the rookie class and the newer faces around the roster gave the team another look at what this next phase could become, as Felix Okpara continued to draw attention and the group around AJ Dybantsa and Anthony Davis kept working into defined roles.
Justin Champagnie also stayed in the mix as one of the more dependable pieces in Washingtons early camp picture, which is where the rotation question gets interesting. The Wizards used a tight group for much of the first half, and that kind of early-season compression tends to put pressure on the fringes fast, especially when younger players keep making enough of an impression to force the coaching staff to think twice about who belongs in the nightly mix. [Read more 🡒]
Felix Okpara Is Giving The Wizards A Frontcourt Decision To Make
The Wizards have spent the early part of the post-draft process introducing their newest rookies, and Felix Okpara has already given them something to think about. In limited preseason minutes, the young big man flashed the kind of athleticism and defensive activity that can make a team pay attention fast, and it showed up in a win over the Detroit Pistons as Washington continued sorting through a crowded frontcourt.
Okpara is still not viewed as an immediate rotation piece, which is no surprise on a roster with more established size ahead of him. Even so, he has looked like the sort of developmental addition who can make a case with every clean rebound, rim contest and extra possession, and the next step may be finding the right balance between patience and opportunity as he works his way through the G League. [Read more 🡒]