Bilal Coulibaly Continuing To Learn As He Welcomes More Responsibility With Wizards

Washington Wizards swingman Bilal Coulibaly speaks to RG about his improvements in Year 2 (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

On the heels of his rookie year and heading into his first NBA offseason, Bilal Coulibaly knew he was going to be busy.

Not only were he and his countrymen set to host the world at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games, but he was simultaneously preparing to take on a larger workload and increased role for Brian Keefe and the Washington Wizards.

"I mean, I talked about it with Coach [Keefe] this summer, so I was ready for it mentally,” Coulibaly told RG in an exclusive interview over the phone.

As of March 5, Coulibaly has played the most minutes per game (33.4) among active members of his draft class.

“Physically, it's just like getting ready, practicing more than you even play in the game,” Coulibaly told RG. “Mentally, talking to the coach, he'd be telling me before games that I'm about to play a lot, so I'm ready. I'd say during the summer, it was a lot of the conditioning. During the season, too. Even when we're playing 5-on-5, just giving everything and doing everything to get more in shape, I'd say.”

Luckily for Coulibaly, he’s had Tyler Relph to challenge him to do so.

A former Mr. New York Basketball winner, West Virginia recruit and St. Bonaventure standout, Relph turned his attention to molding current and future pros after his career was over. Since 2009, he’s worked with over 10,000 players at all levels, including household-name NBA and WNBA clientele. He instructs at private sessions and also has his own gym at the Tyler Relph Basketball Lab in Addison, Texas, which opened in Oct. 2020.

Relph’s methods are careful and detailed — and equally as intense. Since Coulibaly is just 20 years old, he doesn’t hold back.

“You kind of can work guys in different phases. He's still young, so you can push him hard,” Relph told RG in an exclusive interview over the phone. “You want him to understand the game at a higher intellectual level, trying to show him how the elites work. If you can work and create great habits, both on the court and off the court… I don't think everybody knows the talent level and what he does is there. A lot of times, it's who's willing to work and who's not.”

Taking care of your body away from the floor is imperative. Paying attention to your diet and nutrition, keeping a consistent sleep schedule, locking in on film, and preparing your mind for the next task at hand all fall within that. Between the lines, Relph says it’s all about self-belief.

“That is the forefront of everything else,” Relph told RG. “If a player's confident, they're gonna play better. What is one of the things that will make that player be confident in a game first. Is it a lot of shooting work? Is it dribble pickup stuff, trying to get his handle right? Is it ball-handling? Is it mental reps? Is it IQ where their understanding is higher?

“Find out how they build their confidence, and then you structure the situational stuff off that, and then you try to make them understand the game in those spots and then put it at a higher level.”

Half of that battle is just having the chance to play through the ebbs and flows. The Wizards haven’t yanked Coulibaly or their inexperienced players because of missed shots or turnovers. They’ve instead allowed them to fight through any obstacle that comes their way.

Washington, by far, leads the NBA in rookie minutes played (4,446) and employed its youngest starting five since 1970 on Oct. 30, 2024. Though they’re not a winning team by any stretch of the imagination, the franchise is fostering an environment where maturation can happen organically.

“I think for any player, development is a process of are you in a position where you can learn from your mistakes and make mistakes,” Relph said. “You can't be afraid to make mistakes, especially if you're in a developmental process. He's still young. He's still in that developmental stage. He's not a 30-year-old vet where it's like, 'Hey man, you can't make these mistakes. If you make any of these mistakes, we've got to take you out.'

“So I think it's very beneficial for him where he's at. I think Washington's done a great job as far as his development and understanding him as a player. Their organization deserves a lot of credit for what they're doing.”

Thrown Into the Deep End

This season, Coulibaly has more than doubled his touch-time average (3.25 seconds per game) from his rookie campaign. That has led to an increase in opportunities as a scorer and playmaker. Through 56 games, Coulibaly is producing 12.4 points and 3.5 assists a night. Further, he has upped his potential assist per-game average to 6.6 from 3.1 in his first year.

“Work a lot and just confidence [have led to that growth],” Coulibaly said echoing Relph’s words. “Confidence from my teammates, confidence from myself, coaches giving me the ball. I know I can create, so it's just me and my aggressiveness.”

A key factor in opening up Coulibaly’s offensive game will be straightening out his three-ball. Knocking down just 27.7% of his four attempts per contest, his perimeter percentage has drastically dipped from a respectable 34.6%.

On the surface, this may look like a typical sophomore shooting slump. However, it’s important to understand the potential “why” behind it.

Coulibaly’s shot profile has changed, as has his move from the backcourt to the frontcourt. He’s been more apt to initiate without needing somebody to set him up. Going off-ball and catch-shooting actions haven’t gone away or anything, but the difference is Coulibaly is much more attack-minded — whether he has the rock or he doesn’t.

“Watching him more, he’s learning how to cut and play on and off-ball also, and that’s what young players have to do,” Relph said.

There are more pull-up jumpers and fewer stand-in-the-corner possessions. He’s taken it upon himself to get to the paint off the dribble and find different spots to produce from. That takes some getting used to. Fortunately, the tide turned in February, as Coulibaly shot 35% from distance in those 11 games.

“It just makes the game way easier when I'm knocking down my shots 'cause guys gotta close out, and then I can just drive, create for me and be a playmaker for my teammates too,” Coulibaly told RG.

“I mean, that's the key right?” Relph said. “The length he has, the ability to get to the rim, his athleticism at the rim, that's gonna open up everything. If guys got to play off him, it's gonna make it a little harder. He doesn't have a physical game right now, so even if they play off, he's not gonna run through you and have that full head of steam downhill. He's more finesse, bases his game around the skill level. But yeah, it's straight-line drives. It makes the game easier, it makes your reads easier. I think shooting is the key to it all. It's what makes the game easier for everybody. If you can't shoot, then the game, at times for certain people, becomes very hard.”

The most crucial part of this is that Coulibaly is continuing to trust his work. In the first game of the month, he made three triples and took a season-high 11 of them.

They Call It "BILALCATRAZ"

"I mean, I love it,” Coulibaly told RG. “That's all I ask for. I'm a competitor, so playing defense against the best guys is all I need, man. It just gets me going in games too offensively, so that's how I get locked in."

The stat sheet hardly tells us the full story of a defender’s impact, but adding a whole combined deflection/steal/block (4.4) to his previous average helps illustrate part of it. Matchup data on NBA.com is a strong indicator of how well he’s held up against his most frequent assignments.

In 28 minutes against Trae Young, Coulibaly has stifled the Atlanta Hawks All-Star to 5 of 28 from the field with 10 turnovers vs. 26 assists. Jayson Tatum has shot 7-for-20 against him, failing to record a made three in eight attempts. LaMelo Ball is 9 of 30 from the field with four giveaways.

Even Stephen Curry (7-for-18) and Anthony Edwards (6-for-15) have had a tough time with Coulibaly, and only Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell has recorded double-digit field-goal makes.

Still, the second-year swingman sees plenty of areas where he can raise his level.

“Oh dude, offensively and defensively,” Coulibaly told RG. “Defensively, I can be more active. I think I can get a couple more steals and play with my arms a lot more 'cause I got long arms. Offensively, just being more aggressive more consistently, being aggressive on each and every play. So yeah, I can be way better.”

Encouragement from those around you goes a long way, too. The Wizards acquired Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart at the trade deadline to surround their youth with established, veteran talents. They have shared their experiences and helped guide the team, one that’s comprised of 13 players with five years or less in the NBA.

Middleton is already the eldest player on the roster, and he’s wasted no time lending a hand.

Smart is a rugged, fiery personality who leaves everything out on the floor and was a former Defensive Player of the Year. He brings that grit and provides advice as well.

“I was struggling a little bit on the off-ball screens and he's been talking to me, giving me tips — how to get to the body, how to be physical without fouling,” Coulibaly said. “He's been teaching me a lot. I mean, just putting pressure on the guys without fouling. I was fouling too much, putting both hands on the players, and he gave me a couple tips, so I'm way better now.”

And on top of that, Jordan Poole is the young vet on the squad in his sixth career season. Joining Washington shortly via trade after Coulibaly was drafted, the two have grown close over similar interests from the jump.

“Man, as soon as I got here, he moved his locker next to mine,” Coulibaly said. “I mean, he loves Europe and all that, so we've been talking about all of that. He's been to Paris and we've been together in Paris too. That's just my guy. It just came [naturally] like that for real."

A French Takeover

Outside of D.C., Coulibaly always keeps it tight-knit with his brothers on the France men’s basketball team. When anyone is in town from that family, he’ll set up a time to hang out and grab a bit to eat.

Just by taking a glance at the last two NBA Draft classes, it’s clear that French hoops are taking over the league by storm.

Victor Wembanyama and Zaccharie Risacher are back-to-back top overall picks, and Coulibaly’s teammate Sarr was selected second last year. The Charlotte Hornets used No. 6 on Tidjane Salaun. It’s the first time in NBA history a non-United States nation has produced three top-10 picks. Oh, and the New York Knicks took Pacome Dadiet at No. 25, by the way.

In 2023, Coulibaly was the seventh selection, and the No. 43 and 44 picks were Rayan Rupert and Sidy Cissoko, who both play currently for the Portland Trail Blazers. And in the draft before that, there were Ousmane Dieng (11th) and Moussa Diabate (43rd) in the mix.

“Just seeing guys like Victor, myself, Zacch, Alex getting drafted so high, all the guys are like, 'Man, I can do this too,' so they put extra work in,” Coulibaly told RG. “They listen to coaches and everything. You've got good coaches, too, in France. That's how we keep getting better.”

Earning a silver medal in each of the last two Olympics, France is creeping closer and closer to that gold. Being around longtime national team vets has left an imprint on Coulibaly and the next generation, especially Nicolas Batum.

“He talked to me a lot this summer,” Coulibaly said. “Whenever we were eating, in the locker room, playing or not playing, he was always talking to me. And showing it on the court, he was playing the hardest. He plays so hard, it's actually impressive."

Coulibaly’s ascent started about 10 months ago when his rookie campaign came to a close. He would be in for a taxing offseason, but one that was well worth it. Already, you’re seeing the fruits of his labor as each night passes. There are goals he wants to hit as Year 2 inches toward the finish line.

Things are looking up for Coulibaly as he continues to gain knowledge.

He’s already represented the Wizards as a Rising Star twice, an accomplishment he shares with only Rui Hachimura, Bradley Beal and John Wall. He’s five games away from quadrupling his 15-point game total from his rookie season.

Among his sophomore peers, Coulibaly is one of four to average at least 10 points, 4 rebounds and a steal, and only Wembanyama and Amen Thompson have recorded 100 steals and 80 blocks in total as he has. One month ago, he had his first career triple-double.

Only 20, Coulibaly has so much more to offer, and his teammates will be the ones to help him realize the potential he possesses.

“I know they believe in me,” Coulibaly told RG. “They are telling me that every single day, so it feels really good. For me and just my confidence, having guys that believe in me makes me believe in myself too."