For three weeks, everything has been a little more difficult for Bilal Coulibaly. The Frenchman is obviously not helped by the Wizards collective, who have 14 defeats in a row. But this is not the only reason for his little slack, symbolized by his 4 small points at 2/8 on the shoot in the setback against the Bucks.
It is his new responsibilities and his ambitions which explain less good performances for some time. Initially a defender, he wanted to take a step forward offensively this season. We saw it in the first meetings, with successful matches, outings with 20 points or more and personal bests.
Except that taking shots and weighing in attack, but also defending against the best outside players in the league, while playing eight minutes more on average, is tiring…
“ I have a lot to take in”, he admits. “But I have to live with it because this is what I want to do in the future, in the short term. I want to be a complete player, good on both ends of the pitch. »
“He is our best defender but he is improving a lot in attack, being a player who makes the play. He wants this challenge”confirms his coach Brian Keefe who can only notice that his player has lost impact over the weeks. Bilal Coulibaly has only averaged 8.5 points for eight matches.
“If you want to be a great player, which he is, you have to be good on both ends of the pitch”
This also corresponds to the return of Malcolm Brogdon. Is this an additional explanation to justify this little offensive slack? “He’s a good striker too and everyone has to shoot. I can't be the only one taking shots, it makes sense.”he replies.
As the collective record does not really count in Washington, the player's difficulties are not worrying. On the contrary, he enters into the tough, must learn to get out of it and this will be beneficial for the future. There is therefore no point in sparing him or reducing his responsibilities to protect him.
“We are not going to manage his workload. You have to do it, that's all, it's part of the game. If you want to be a great player, which he is, you have to be good on both ends of the pitch.”concludes Brian Keeke.
| Bilal Coulibaly | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2023-24 | W.A.S. | 63 | 27 | 43.5 | 34.6 | 70.2 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 8.4 |
| 2024-25 | W.A.S. | 17 | 35 | 48.2 | 30.9 | 75.5 | 1.5 | 3.8 | 5.4 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 12.6 |
| Total | 80 | 29 | 44.8 | 33.8 | 71.7 | 1.0 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 9.3 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
