Position: Wing

Team: Metropolitans 92, France

Height: 203 cm / 6’8″

Weight: 88 kg / 194lbs

Wingspan: 218 cm / 7’2”

Born: July 26, 2004

Bilal Coulibaly has become one of the fastest risers in the 2023 NBA Draft, impressing the NBA teams with his physical tools and high upside. After making his name known in 2022 summer with his breakout in the U18 European Championship, Coulibaly was still not a member of his team’s LNB Pro A roster nor a legit NBA prospect for 2023. In 3 months, it was obvious that he was too good for Espoirs. His short adaptation process to one of the best domestic leagues in Europe made him a crucial piece of the rotation in Metropolitans 92’s final run with his teammate and soon to become the 1st pick of the Draft, Victor Wembanyama. With his huge role in the playoffs success of his team, Coulibaly is now invited to the NBA Draft green room and expected to be a lottery pick.

STATS

  • Averages:

LNB PRO A: 28 games, 17.5 min, 4.9 pts, 3 reb (0.8 off reb), 0.8 ast, 0.8 stl, (57.1 % 2P%, 45.2 % 3P%, 59.5 % FT%)

LNB PRO A PLAYOFFS: 10 games, 26.8 min, 8.8 pts, 3.2 reb (1.0 off reb), 1.4 ast, 1.3 stl, (65.1 % 2P%, 23.8% 3P%, 63% FT%)

ESPOIRS ELITE: 16 games, 32.1 min, 21.9 pts, 6.4 reb (1.8 off reb), 2.5 ast, 2.6 stl, (61.6 2P%, 32.4% 3P%, 76.6% FT%)

  • Per40:

17.2 pts, 6.6 reb (1.9 off reb), 2.7 ast, 2.8 stl, 0.9 blk

  • Advanced Stats:

111.2 ORTG, 108.8 DRTG, 60.4 % TS%, 4.9 OREB%, 11.6 DREB%, 8.4 REB%, 7.5 AST%, 2.4 STL%, 1.1 BLK%

STRENGTHS

  • Runs well in transition, huge weapon in open court and fast breaks.
  • Long arms, 7’2 wingspan, 8’11 standing reach
  • One of the most athletic prospects in the draft class, knows how to control his speed and athleticism too.
  • Moves well both vertically and laterally.
  • Solid cutter, knows where and when to move without the ball
  • Great defender both on and off the ball, has outstanding recovering skills, solid help defender, impressive shot contesting instincts
  • Does not have the best touch as a passer but can find the open man and make simple plays, shows limited upside as a PnR operator.
  • Solid rebounding instincts, creates a lot of second chance points opportunities for his team and initiates fast breaks too.
  • Has shown promise as a slasher, has quick first step and explosiveness, finishes with balance, is a good finisher around the rim

IMPROVEMENT AREAS

  • Shooting is a huge concern, mechanics and release need work
  • Lacks shot creation skills, his off the dribble shotmaking is not promising
  • Fundamental skills and handle is not at NBA level, might have a hard time creating with the ball in his hands, often tends to turn the ball over.
  • Not a reliable free throw shooter 
  • Decision-making needs to be better, does not seem like a reliable choice in decisive moments on offense. 
  • Limited presence on half court offense, he shows glimpses of improvement in that area and I can see him become much better in time.

OUTLOOK

Bilal Coulibaly is one of the youngest players in the Draft and him being a potential lottery pick explains how high his upside is. Even though he has great potential, it might not be realistic for teams and NBA fans to expect Coulibaly getting 20-25 minutes per night and impacting the game right away, he is going to be a long term prospect with lots of things to prove. He definitely needs to improve as a shooter since if he doesn’t manage to become a bigger threat behind the 3-point line or from midrange, he could be more and more guardable even while he’s doing what he does best, moving without the ball and playing as a cutter. He showed progress especially as a spot up shooter lately and needs to develop much more. We saw him grabbing the rebound and finishing with pace and athleticism on the other end of the floor and he is a huge open court threat. While I expect that to continue in the NBA, he’ll need to work on his handle and skillset more. It is not very likely for him to become the secondary ball handler of a team ever in his career but he can operate PnRs and create for others and be consistent at it which could be a huge plus for him later in his career. On the defensive end, he has potential to reach All-NBA level and guard the best players on the opposing teams. Overall, a team like Oklahoma City Thunder would be the perfect landing spot for Bilal Coulibaly and I expect him to impress a lot of people with his athleticism, defense, character and competitiveness.