Indiana Pacers select Bilal Coulibaly in 2023 NBA Draft, trade him to Washington Wizards

The 2023 NBA Draft already has a distinctly Parisian flair thanks to Victor Wembanyama but he ins’t the only Frenchman highly regarded among the prospects. French forward Bilal Coulibaly entered Draft Day ranked as a lottery pick and he ended up being selected No. 7 overall by the Indiana Pacers, but was traded to the Washington Wizards.

The 18-year-old was originally expected to declare for the draft next year but decided to enter the draft pool this year.

Coulibaly comes from the French club Metropolitans 92 where he played alongside Wembanyama, the No. 1 overall pick and generational talent. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 20.2 minutes per game, scoring 6.1 points on 52.6% shooting and 3.1 rebounds.

He started the season with the franchise’s Under-21 team. With the youth team, Coulibaly scored 21.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 2.5 assists in 32.1 minutes per game. He played with both the senior and youth team early in the season but soon after the calendar flipped to 2023, he was fully on the senior team.

“By now, everyone knows he deserves to be top 10. But not enough realize he deserves to be top 5,” Wembanyama tweeted earlier in June about Coulibaly.

Coulibaly’s season did not end until June 15 as Wembanyama led Metropolitans 92 to the LNB Pro A’s championship series versus Monaco, which Monaco won. By the time the French playoffs had started, Coulibaly had earned himself a spot in the starting lineup.

At the youth international level, Coulibaly represented France at the 2022 FIBA U18 European Championship and averaged 7.7 points and 3.9 rebounds.

What NBA Draft experts are saying about Bilal Coulibaly

Bilal Coulibaly is a raw, athletic wing who has tremendous potential on both sides of the ball in the NBA. The defense, highlighted by a wingspan of over 7-feet, is ahead of the offense right now.

“Coulibaly is a difference-maker around the rim, moving well without the ball, pouncing on offensive rebounds and attacking the rim whenever possible,” the RotoWire scouting report reads on him. “He pairs this explosiveness with good shooting in a small sample size, connecting on 43.8 percent of 38 three-point attempts this season. Most of those attempts were spot-up looks, and Coulibaly’s self-creation and scoring polish is still a work in progress in the half-court. Defense is where he’s been making the most impact. Pairing his athleticism with his size, Coulibaly could be a massive disruptor in switching schemes.”