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Victor Wembanyama's former Metropolitans 92 teammate Bilal Coulibaly went seventh overall in the 2023 NBA Draft. Initially selected by the Indiana Pacers, Coulibaly was then shockingly traded to the Washington Wizards who had the eighth pick. This means that the real eighth pick, Jarace Walker, now officially belongs to the Pacers.
The Washington Wizards have masterfully executed their rebuild mode this offseason. First, they traded away their long-time superstar Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns. Then they sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Boston Celtics.
News broke earlier today that they traded Chris Paul to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Jordan Poole and other compensation. Now they convinced the Indiana Pacers to give up the seventh pick so the Wizards can secure Bilal Coulibaly.
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NBA fans are baffled by Washington's flow this offseason and have a hunch that the franchise could turn things around come the 2023-24 season. Here's what some fans had to say on social media:
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@KingChargeYT tweeted: "WHAT IS WASHINGTON DOING HOW"
@LegendSports7 tweeted: "Washington continues to stay busy with its brand-new front office team"
@W3STG0AT tweeted: "He’s gonna be good"
@SalleyBMitchell tweeted: "That’s honestly shocking"
@freakinrican15 tweeted: "Spurs wanted him badly apparently he can do a lot more than what he showed next to Wemby…"
@JayWrig28813234 tweeted: "WASHINGTON IS COOOKING"
@nijigasakilove tweeted: "Wizards getting a real squad together for once??"
Is Bilal Coulibaly a bust?
Bilal Coulibaly didn't exactly have the best stats in the 2022-23 French league season. At least that's what most people are aware of. The only reason why Coulibaly is known is due to him being teammates with Victor Wembanyama in Metropolitans 92. During their time as teammates, Bilal only averaged 5.0 points and 3.1 rebounds.
With those kinds of figures in his records, why did Coulibaly land the seventh pick in the 2023 NBA Draft? Before Bilal was teammates with Wembanyama, he was the star of the show in the 2021-22 season for the Metropolitans 92. Unfortunately, no one was aware of the team at the time. During that season, Coulibaly was a beast and averaged 21.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.6 spg, 2.5 apg and 1.2 bpg.
Having that said, it's clear that Coulibaly has the capability to become a star in the NBA one day. Especially now that he no longer has to play behind Victor Wembanyama's shadow, Bilal now has the opportunity to shine with the Washington Wizards.
