Tag: Bilal Coulibaly

Rookie Power Rankings: Chet Holmgren remains No. 1; Scoot arriving in Portland

Rookie Wire took a look at the top first-year players over the last two weeks of the 2023-24 season.

The incoming rookie class has made it through the first quarter of the season, and several players from around the NBA have emerged with some strong performances on the court.

The early action has seen several first-year players contribute at a high level on teams in the playoff picture. They’ve had some key performances for their respective teams and should continue to do so throughout the year.

To make sense of it all, we looked at the best recent performances of these first-year players and ranked them in the Rookie Wire Power Rankings. The rankings are not for Rookie of the Year purposes but to illustrate the best players week to week.

Victor Wembanyama among 13 rookies to sign shoe deals with Nike

Victor Wembanyama and Brandon Miller headline a talented rookie class to sign with Nike this year.

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama and Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller are among 13 rookies to sign shoe and apparel contracts with Nike, according to Nick DePaula of Boardroom.

Wembanyama and Miller headline a talented rookie class for the Swoosh, which includes Amen Thompson (Houston), Ausar Thompson (Detroit), Anthony Black (Orlando), Bilal Coulibaly (Washington) and Cason Wallace (Oklahoma City).

They join a star-studded roster, including signature athletes LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George and Sabrina Ionescu. It has been estimated that nearly 70% of players in the NBA wear Nike on the court.

The group of players signed to Nike nearly makes up half of the first round of draftees this year. Other rookies, such as Scoot Henderson (PUMA), Jarace Walker (Under Armour), Jett Howard (Jordan) and Gradey Dick (Adidas), have also inked with apparel companies.

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Post-preseason NBA rookie power rankings: Wemby is an obvious No. 1, but it gets wild after that

It’s really hard to evaluate rookies this early in their professional careers! 

Let’s just get something out of the way: It’s really hard to evaluate rookies this early in their professional careers!

Players are still trying to find their role in the league and adjusting to the experience of playing against the toughest competition in the world. Coaches are still hoping to figure out the best to utilize these guys, many of whom are still very raw.

But we still wanted to have a baseline evaluation of the rookies we have seen so far, even if it might look a bit strange. Before you get too upset, though, let’s offer a quick reminder. Per ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, the NBA’s Rookie of the Year almost always goes to the first-year player who had the highest total combination of points, rebounds and assists per game.

During the preseason, that player was (obviously) Victor Wembanyama.

Our list doesn’t follow that model, but it may look a bit spicy due to some notable players being excluded. It is worth noting, though, that six of the 10 players we highlighted ranked in the top 10 among rookies in that very basic points/rebounds/assists formula.

Average it out to productivity per 36 minutes and then filter out everyone except for the 30 players who logged the most minutes and you will find eight of the following players.

Our rankings do, however, give more weight to scoring efficiency and turnovers. We also accounted for defensive metrics like blocks, steals and fouls. These are all important measures of impact on a basketball court.

You may be surprised to not find players like Miller or Henderson but both were still figuring out the kinks. That doesn’t mean they won’t get on here in the regular season once they find their rhythm. This is not predictive of their future success but rather an assessment of where they are at this moment.

But during preseason, for example, Henderson led all rookies in turnovers and personal fouls committed. Miller, meanwhile, had an effective field-goal percentage of below 40.0 percent (the league average was at 54.5 percent last season). It’s worth acknowledging, though, that they do have tougher roles on their teams than some of their competition.

Otherwise, here is how we would rank the upcoming rookies based on their play during the preseason:

5 rookies (Julian Strawther!) who have played surprisingly well during the NBA preseason

The Nuggets may have found a GEM in Julian Strawther.

The NBA preseason is a great opportunity for franchises to see what they have in their young players and several are using the time wisely.

While we knew we could expect greatness from Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren, there are some other prospects who we would consider as more pleasant surprises thus far.

Based on what we have seen on the court during these exhibition matches, here are a few of the players who have stood out as potential rotation pieces that we may not have initially anticipated to see get minutes during their first professional campaigns next year.

Wizards’ Wes Unseld Jr. explains how Bilal Coulibaly can impact games

In his preseason debut, Coulibaly offered a glimpse of how he can impact games on a nightly basis this season.

On a night in which Bilal Coulibaly recorded only five points, the seventh pick showcased how he can affect games this season with the Washington Wizards.

That is with his defense.

Coulibaly flashed that ability in 20 minutes on Tuesday in a 145-82 victory over the Cairns Taipans of the National Basketball League. He added six rebounds, three assists, three steals and one blocked shot in his preseason debut.

Boasting a 7-foot, 3-inch wingspan, Coulibaly showed off his length and athleticism. He displayed great instincts and awareness that enabled him to anticipate plays and force turnovers.

“I think he can be impactful defensively,” Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “He showed it at times (with) just his length and anticipation. He’ll get a better feel once we dial deeper into personnel and get deeper into the season. I think that is where he is going to hang his hat.”

The early showing by Coulibaly was certainly encouraging. He admitted afterward there are areas on defense he can improve, such as in pick and roll coverage. That, as Unseld alluded to, will likely come with more reps.

The entire Wizards roster has embraced Coulibaly seemingly from the day the Frenchman arrived. He received a shoutout from Kyle Kuzma on Instagram after the victory and earned high praise from Anthony Gill, who called him the best prospect in the NBA draft.

Jordan Poole even moved Coulibaly’s locker next to his at the facility and has encouraged the 19-year-old to ask as many questions as needed. Those gestures have helped him stay confident.

“(Jordan) was saying when he was a rookie, he wasn’t always asking questions and sometimes he was lost so he just doesn’t want me to be like that,” Coulibaly said. “He is just saying, ‘Whatever question you’ve got, there is no stupid question so ask them.'”

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NBA 2K24: Ratings revealed for the first round of the 2023 NBA draft

The official player ratings and other features for NBA 2K24 have been unveiled as the popular video game hit stores on Friday.

The official player ratings and other features for NBA 2K24 have been unveiled as the popular video game hit stores on Friday across all platforms around the world.

The latest installment of NBA 2K features three distinct editions, each honoring Kobe Bryant. The game, for the first time, also allows for crossplay, meaning users on different gaming consoles can still play with their friends online.

In addition to many of the new features and updates unveiled in the game, fans are equally as excited to see the initial player ratings. Of course, with a new group of players set to enter the league, many are curious to see how the rookie class would be graded.

The franchise, led by marketing director Ronnie 2K, previously revealed the ratings for several first-rounders this year. With the game officially available for purchase around the world, the grades for each rookie have been unveiled.

Here are the ratings for the first round of the 2023 NBA draft.

Get your first look at Victor Wembanyama and other first round draft pick’s 2023 NBA jerseys

Celebrate the newest member of your team with jerseys for some of the top picks in the 2023 NBA Draft.

The 2023 NBA Draft is finally underway.

Unsurprisingly, Victor Wembanyama went No. 1 overall to the San Antonio Spurs.

Wembanyama rocked a sharp green suit down the red carpet and both the outfit and the draft pick got plenty of love on social media.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Wembanyama Spurs jersey” link=”https://fanatics.93n6tx.net/21QdLa”]

Wembanyama was soon followed by Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson who were selected by the Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers respectively.

For any and all news related to the NBA Draft, check out FTW’s constantly-updating NBA Draft Tracker.

Celebrate the newest member of your team and the official start of their NBA career by pre-ordering their newly minted jersey.

2023 NBA Mock Draft 9.0: Final update with Kobe Bufkin, Bilal Coulibaly and Dereck Lively rising

Find out who your favorite NBA team may select on June 22.

We are merely hours away from the 2023 NBA Draft and we are starting to get a more clear picture of how everything will shake out.

This mock draft is based on intel, research, scouting, deep data dives, and continued conversations with experts around the league. The results of this mock draft are based on the current order of the draft, though we can expect trades that will shake up the picks on the night of the event.

Included in this version is original reporting with direct quotes from Jarace Walker, Dereck Lively, Gradey Dick, Nick Smith, Keyonte George, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Brandin Podziemski, Noah Clowney and more!

Unless noted otherwise, all data was pulled from our friends at Cerebro Sports — you can create a free account to evaluate player performance across all levels globally.

We also used AI-Powered statistics provided by the Stats Perform database.

The best takes and the sharpest bets on all the hoops storylines you need to know. Sign up for our Layup Lines newsletter, hitting your inbox on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

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Spurs may have wanted to trade for another pick to draft Victor Wembanyama’s French teammate Bilal Coulibaly

Bilal Coulibaly played alongside Victor Wembanyama in France.

We’ve all heard the Spurs are planning to draft generational NBA prospect Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

But what you may not know is that Wembanyama is potentially not the only player from France’s Metropolitans 92 who may suit up for San Antonio next season.

Another name to watch is the 18-year-old Bilal Coulibaly, who recently measured 6-foot-8 in shoes with a 7-foot-2 wingspan and an 8-foot-11 standing reach.

Coulibaly has averaged 0.89 points per offensive chance for the Metropolitans, via Stats Perform, which ranks as the best among our projected first-rounders.

Kevin O’Connor speculated that San Antonio is looking to trade up to add another lottery pick and mentioned Coulibaly as a potential target (via The Ringer):

“There are rumblings that the Spurs are exploring trades for a second lottery pick. I’m not sure how high they are trying to get, but rival executives speculate that they’re targeting one of the Thompson twins or Wembanyama’s own teammate, Bilal Coulibaly.”

Sam Vecenie, meanwhile, specifically mentioned Coulibaly as an option for the Spurs (via The Athletic):

“The San Antonio Spurs are thought to have real interest in Coulibaly, as Wembanyama and Coulibaly are close friends having played together this past season with Metropolitans 92. If there is a surprise team that tries to spike up the board into the top 10 that no one sees coming, the Spurs are a candidate.”

According to ESPN, due to travel constraints, Coulibaly did not conduct any team workouts during the pre-draft process. But there are several teams also likely interested in his services.

Jazz CEO Danny Ainge traveled to France to watch Coulibaly in late April, per Bleacher Report lead scout Jonathan Wasserman.

Meanwhile, per ESPN, the Jazz reportedly “sent decision-makers” to scout Coulibaly in Monaco during the Pro A finals earlier this month. According to the report, Oklahoma City also had representatives there.

As such, the price for the additional pick, won’t be cheap for San Antonio. According to NBA Big Board scouting director Raphael Barlowe, Coulibaly is “now believed to have a draft range” that begins at No. 6 overall.

If you ask Wembanyama, though, that price isn’t too steep for someone as talented as Coulibaly. Here is the English translation of what Wembanyama recently said about his teammate (via L’Equipe):

“When I see the top 10 prospects announced in the draft, and for example the twins Amen and Ausar Thompson, whose profile is similar to that of Bilal … I tell myself, very factually, that if these players are announced in the top five picks while playing in a league, Overtime Elite, whose level is light years away from what we live here, so Bilal must be at least a top 5. He is taller, at least as athletic, he has a bigger wingspan, shoots better.”

While he played well as teammates with Wembanyana in France’s top-tier division as they continued their run late in the postseason, he was especially productive in the LNB Espoirs for the under-21 age group.

Coulibaly averaged 21.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game across 16 appearances in the LNB Espoirs. He led all players in pure scoring prowess (PSP) and defensive statistical impact (DSI) as well, per Cerebro.

If it would help Wembanyama to have his French teammate join him in the United States, we should expect San Antonio to seriously consider making the move.

Should this happen, though, does this team continue to add more French connections over the next several years during the Wembanyma era?

Gregg Popovich is not going to coach the team forever. Does it make sense for Vincent Collet, who coached Wembanyama and Coulibaly on Mets 92 and coaches the French national team, to receive consideration as a potential replacement?

We will have a much clearer idea of what will happen once the 2023 NBA Draft concludes on Thursday night in Brooklyn at Barclays Center.

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ESPN: Thunder traveled overseas to watch Bilal Coulibaly ahead of 2023 NBA draft

The Thunder continue to keep an eye on Bilal Coulibaly.

The 2023 NBA draft is a little over a week away, which means the Oklahoma City Thunder will soon add another lottery talent to their young roster.

A possibility at No. 12 that has picked up steam over the last couple of weeks is Metropolitan 92 forward Bilal Coulibaly. The 18-year-old has quickly risen draft boards and is expected to be a lottery pick.

It seems the Thunder are interested in him, too. In their latest mock draft, ESPN draft experts Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo reported the Thunder sent decision-makers to Monaco this week to watch Coulibaly live in the Pro A finals.

“Despite his unavailability to work out for teams, his stock appears to be in a good place. The Jazz and Thunder both sent decision-makers to Monaco this week to take another look at Coulibaly, where he bounced back from a difficult first game in the Pro A finals with a strong performance in Game 2. “

This adds juice to the report Thunder general manager Sam Presti was reportedly in France recently to also watch Coulibaly live in person.

With his team still playing games this late in the draft process, Coulibaly hasn’t been available to work out for teams. That hasn’t stopped his stock from rising though.

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