Eh yes, Bilal Coulibaly was on the field, in between, last night for the Clippers reception. For his second career start, the French rookie from the Wizards had a tough guy against him with James Harden, and he did rather well, personally, with 19 points on 8 of 17 shots, 4 rebounds, 2 passes, 2 blocks and 1 interception.
Jordan Poole absent, Coulibaly is the player most used by Brian Keefe with 37 minutes. Unfortunately, the Wizards cracked in the 3rd quarter, lost 40-19, and in the end, there was no third victory in a row after those obtained against the Pistons and the Spurs.
With or against “Wemby” in the Rising Stars Challenge?
Speaking of Spurs, Coulibaly answered questions about his selection for the Rising Stars Challenge with his pal Victor Wembanyama. “ A friend told me about it via a message on Instagram » he says. “I'm so happy, because I worked for this, and it was one of my goals. My family will obviously be there.”
For the moment, the Wizards rookie does not know if he prefers to play with or against Victor Wembanyama in the Rising Stars Challenge. “That’s a good question… I really don’t know…” he replies, before sharing his pride at being selected. “I'm so proud… The franchise did everything to help me, and I'm also proud for my family who helped me too. They have always been there for me. I called my mother, and I had never seen her smile so much. »
A privileged location in Washington
As he prepared to face the Clippers, Coulibaly also answered questions about his progress. “I would say it’s about shooting. Being able to put them on when I'm unmarked. My ability to go to the circle and finish. It's getting better and better. I’m trying to work on that.”
Finally, he highlighted the role of his new coach Brian Keefe, who, as an assistant, took care of the Frenchman a lot. “I am privileged to have so much playing time. You learn more by being on the pitch than by watching. I don’t know if I could have had more elsewhere,” he recalls. “I have already been working with the coach since the start of the season, and we are working even more together. »
