Anthony Davis sees Bilal Coulibaly as a defender with real runway.
According to Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network, Davis said the Wizards wing has “no ceiling” on that end of the floor and pointed to his blend of size, foot speed and strength as the kind of toolkit that can bother elite NBA wings. The five-time All-Defensive pick specifically named Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George as the sort of matchups Coulibaly can handle, per Hughes.
Coulibaly backed up that praise in Washington’s season-opening win over Milwaukee on Wednesday. Filling in for the injured AJ Dybantsa, he finished with four steals and two blocks in 29 minutes, and the Wizards noted it was the first time in 51 years that one of their players had posted at least four steals and two blocks in a season opener. Hughes also reported that Coulibaly added seven deflections.
That strong defensive night comes with a big-picture contract note attached. If he receives a qualifying offer, Coulibaly is on track to become a restricted free agent next summer after he and the Wizards did not come to terms on a rookie scale extension before Monday’s deadline.
Elsewhere in the Southeast, Myron Gardner found himself in the middle of a little extra fire during Miami’s blowout loss to Minnesota on Wednesday. Anthony Edwards said after scoring 45 points in the teams’ season opener that a player on the Heat bench started chirping during a dead-ball situation and that the exchange helped turn up his intensity.
“ A player on their bench was talking trash on one of the dead-ball situations,” Edwards said. “ And I think it kind of crunked me up because he was talking pretty crazy.
And then when I started talking to him, he didn’t really have too much more to say. And I don’t really like that.
If you’re going to talk s-, keep talking s-. Don’t get quiet.
So I think that was pretty much the reason why I was super intense tonight.”
Erik Spoelstra wasn’t opposed to Gardner’s edge, but he did want the young forward to pick his spots a little better. After Thursday’s practice, the Heat coach said, “ I love Myron’s competitive spirit, and he wants to infuse energy into the group,” Spoelstra said after Thursday’s practice.
“ You also have to be smart about it. I particularly don’t want him talking trash to the other team’s best scorers, especially when he’s not out there.
But he’s got a good heart. He means the right thing.
He’ll be better.” Gardner, whose contract is partially guaranteed for $500K, played just three garbage-time minutes in the loss, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
In Orlando, the Magic put up 125 points in their opener, but it still wasn’t enough to erase the issues that caught up with them against Atlanta. Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel reported that the Magic gave up 132 points, allowed 60 in the paint, turned it over 20 times, sent the Hawks to the line for 36 free throws and were beaten for 18 fast-break points.
Sean Sweeney said Thursday that the effort was there, but the execution has to sharpen up. “ I think the intent was there and our hearts were in the right place to play the right way,” head coach Sean Sweeney said Thursday.
“ Now, we need to do a little bit of a better job of executing. “
The Hornets, meanwhile, will once again be short-handed when they face Minnesota on Friday. The team announced that Coby White (left calf strain), Kon Knueppel (left hamstring strain), Grant Williams (right hamstring strain) and two-way rookie Kylan Boswell (right knee surgery) are all still out. Knueppel and Williams picked up their hamstring injuries in the offseason, while White strained his calf during training camp.
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For the Wizards, it is the kind of low-risk swing that fits the broader search for young talent with room to grow. There is no official deal yet, and the market around Knecht could move quickly once teams sort through their two-way spots, but the fact that Washington is even in the conversation says something about how a fresh start might appeal to both sides. [Read more 🡒]
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Bub Carrington Already Gives The Wizards Something They Clearly Need
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Carringtons value is tied less to force at the rim than to what he can do from deeper areas, and that part of his game is supposed to help the Wizards right away. He shot 40.8 percent from three-point range last season, and even with some questions about his finishing inside the paint, that kind of shooting gives Washington another piece it can build around as it looks for cleaner possessions and more reliable scoring options. [Read more 🡒]