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Washington Wizards’ 2023 Lottery Pick Gets Brutal Injury Update

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics
By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated 3/18/24

When the Washington Wizards traded up to select Bilal Coulibaly seventh overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, he was largely expected to be a project that will need some time to develop. Unfortunately for the French youngster, his promising and continued development will have to take a pause for now because of an injury.

Coulibaly recently sustained a wrist injury, which has forced the Wizards to sideline him for the foreseeable future.

Washington Wizards Rookie Bilal Coulibaly Out for Season

In an announcement on social media, the Wizards confirmed the development and highlighted that Coulibaly is dealing with a right wrist fracture. Apparently, the 19-year-old suffered the injury during their recent game against the Chicago Bulls.

The Wizards already have a treatment planned for Coulibaly, but with just 14 games left on the season, the team noted that it’s unlikely for the rising star to return and finish off the campaign.

“Official: Bilal Coulibaly will miss the remainder of the regular season after being diagnosed with a right wrist fracture. The injury, which will be treated conservatively, was suffered when Coulibaly fell during the game on March 16 at Chicago,” the Wizards said in a statement.

This is definitely quite the heartbreaking news, especially since Colibaly has been tremendous for the team this 2023-24. While he has yet to develop some consistency, he has certainly shown flashes of what made him a lottery pick.

Bilal Coulibaly’s Rookie Season With Washington Wizards

With Bilal Coulibaly’s first season with the Washington Wizards now over, he officially ends it with averages of 8.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 63 games. Coulibaly shot 43.5 percent from the field, as well as 34.6 percent from deep.

Despite the fact that the Wizards are currently the worst team in the NBA, Coulibaly’s two-way impact has been widely felt by the team. His 7-foot-3 wingspan has certainly become a massive disruptor on defense for Washington.

Sure enough, with his solid play, Coulibaly was selected to the NBA Rising Stars Challenge during the 2024 All-Star Weekend. That speaks volumes of how much improvement he has made throughout the season–from being seen as a late first-round talent, to a lotter pick and now to one of the budding stars in the NBA.

Hopefully, Coulibaly’s injury won’t bother him in the future and he can pick up where he left off come the 2024-25 season. For now, Wizards fans can simply be happy with the growth of the youngster and hope for the best when it comes to his recovery.

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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