INDIANAPOLIS — The Washington Wizards’ early-season development plan for prized rookie Bilal Coulibaly became clearer Wednesday night in their season opener.
As tipoff approached, there was some speculation outside the organization that the 19-year-old lottery pick could be in the starting lineup. Coulibaly, after all, had started all four of Washington’s preseason exhibitions while either Deni Avdija or Kyle Kuzma sat out because of injuries.
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The speculation was misplaced.
Careful not to overload their prized rookie and not push him into a large role too soon, the Wizards intend to bring Coulibaly along relatively slowly in the early going — as long as Avdija and Kuzma remain healthy, that is.
Not only did Avdija start at small forward alongside Kuzma, but Coulibaly was the fourth player off the bench against the Indiana Pacers. The Wizards rookie played 23 minutes, and that total could be considered inflated because coach Wes Unseld Jr. subbed out his starters early in the fourth quarter as the Pacers were in the process of routing the Wizards 143-120.
“He’s going to get some minutes,” Unseld said after the game. “We’re going to progress him slowly, yes. We’re not going to heap too much on him too soon. But his minutes will vary.”
It might seem like an overly cautious plan given that Coulibaly started throughout the preseason and looked like he fit in well playing alongside, and against, high-caliber players. But a conservative approach to Coulibaly’s minutes also is the most responsible approach. This way, he can make steady gains, solidify his confidence and then earn more minutes when he plays well.
Coulibaly performed well Wednesday. He tallied three points, collected four rebounds, dished out three assists and blocked three shots, with each block more impressive than the block that preceded it.
His teammates and coaches made sure he didn’t feel much pressure — and injured guard Landry Shamet in particular — telling him his regular-season debut was just another game.
But it was special. His mom and two sisters, who live in France, made the trip to Indianapolis from a stay in Washington.
Any lingering pressure weighing on Coulibaly evaporated midway through the second quarter, when he launched a 3-pointer from the right corner over Bennedict Mathurin’s outstretched left arm. The ball rattled off the rim, bounced off the backboard and fell through the hoop.
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Asked to describe his emotions, Coulibaly smiled. “I feel better now that I scored,” he said.
Coulibaly’s defining quality since he was drafted seventh in June and Washington traded up for him has been his uncommon poise. He seemed calm once again Wednesday.
“Having a first game as a rookie is never easy,” said Avdija, who made his NBA debut in 2020. “I think he did a good job today defensively. He’s really talented. He’s got a long way to go. I think he’s going to be all right.
“He is calm,” Avdija added. “I think that’s the key for him: to know his spots, stay disciplined and just … know what he needs to do on the court, know the personnel. And I feel like the sky’s the limit for him. He’s getting his stuff together, and it’s never easy as a rookie. But we have great guys around him to show him the good way, and he’ll be good.”
Unseld and the Wizards’ assistant coaches will have a more nuanced view of Coulibaly’s defensive performance after they review the game video, but Unseld had a strong early opinion of his team’s defensive performance.
It was flat-out awful.
Asked whether the Wizards’ problems stemmed primarily from their defense at the point of attack, and especially pick-and-roll defense, Unseld answered: “Tonight, it was everywhere. It was transition. It was one-on-one. It was pick-and-roll. It was pretty much an all-you-can-eat buffet.”
Indiana made 52 percent of its shots and went 20-of-43 from beyond the arc.
It was frustrating in part because, in the days leading up to the game, Wizards coaches repeatedly told their players to expect the Pacers to push the ball upcourt. So, when a Washington player attempted a shot, his teammates would have to either crash the boards decisively or sprint back decisively on defense; the one thing they could not afford, even for a split second, was to linger, watch the outcome of the shot and allow Indiana to score easy leak-out baskets.
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“Our transition D was not good at all,” Kuzma said. “It has to be better, and if it’s not, we’re just going to get blown out every game. So, for us, we just have to make a conscious effort of getting back, communicating, talking and just being a unit out there. Tonight, we didn’t talk too much, and I think the score kind of reflected that.”
Not just “kind of.” As one of the Pacers’ social media accounts noted, the Pacers’ 143 points were the most scored by any team in a season opener since 1990.
One of the adjustments Coulibaly had to make was coming off the bench, which might have disrupted the rhythm he built during the preseason.
“I’ve just got to stay ready,” Coulibaly said. “You can get called (into the game) whenever the coaches want, so you’ve just got to stay ready. It’s different than starting, for sure.”
When Coulibaly first entered the game, he played alongside Tyus Jones, Delon Wright, Corey Kispert and Danilo Gallinari.
“I wanted to get him in with some of those core guys, and he did some good things,” Unseld said. “I thought specifically late in the game he made some plays defensively. He had a couple of blocks, which were pretty impressive. But (we want to) get him in a rhythm, and it was slow going for all of us. But in general, we’ve got to be better.”
GO DEEPER
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(Top photo: Jeff Haynes / NBAE via Getty Images)