NBA Draft
Who is Bilal Coulibaly? Considered the second-best French prospect in upcoming draft you know nothing about
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All posts by Antonio KozlowUpdated10 hours ago on April 28, 2024
While Victor Wembanyama is the unquestioned first pick in this Thursday’s 2023 NBA Draft, he’s not the only French prospect who is expected for a future of greatness in the NBA. His own teammate with club Metropolitans 92 has been escalating up the draft boards over the course of this year, as so many eyes have been stuck on the No. 1 projected prospect.
We are talking about Bilal Coulibaly, another teenager ready for adulthood in the NBA. The 18-year-old, who is listed as a six-foot-seven athlete, has been rocking the French basketball league by helping his squad reach the Finals of the competition.
Although both him and Wembanyama lost the championship series against AS Monaco, they gained the experience to compete abroad. Now, Coulibaly is considered a bona fide first-round candidate awaiting June 22’s NBA Draft.
Check out some of his most impressive highlights from this past campaign in France:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emNLyC86o80
Coulibaly just ended his second year as a professional, after only playing 15 games in his first season. As some injuries left a spot in the starting lineup, he quickly took hold of this position and had commonly played into the club’s rotation.
He was only able to drop double figures two times during his first six months, but has now done it seven times in the past two (including French playoffs).
Kevin Danna, sport broadcaster and voice of NBA’s “Wembycasts”, commentated on over 40 Metropolitans 92 matches this past campaign, and couldn’t hold his excitement when asked about Coulibaly’s potential in the league.
“He steadily just kind of raised his profile this year — just got better and better and better and better as the year went on,” Danna told the press. “When I first saw him, I’m like, oh, this guy could be a prospect down the line. I didn’t think when I first saw him, oh, this guy is going to be a first-round draft pick in a few months.”
According to recent mock drafts, Coulibaly should be found from the top 10 to high-20s this upcoming Draft
As we are expecting the rising star to be found anywhere from the top 10 to the high-20s, it is definite that Coulibaly will be a first-round pick.
One of the most important assets the 18-year-old has, is his incredible athleticism, as he’s jumped his way through the French league, making outstanding dunks off of lobs or even offensive rebounds.
“For anyone who drafts him, they can’t expect this guy to play 15-20 minutes a game next year. They can expect him to play 30 minutes a game for the G League team,” Danna expressed. “I call him a half-Caboclo, like one year away from being one year away — not two years away from being two years away.
“He’s still raw, but down the line, he could be somebody for sure.”
Coulibaly averaged 8.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and a steal over his last 25 contests of the season.
“He’s done more creation offensively recently,” the broadcaster kept at it. “He was strictly a stand-in-the-corner guy to start the year, but now he’s taking guys off the dribble a little bit. He’s finishing in traffic. And his athleticism pops, man.”
