The Wizards have won two in a row and done so in impressive fashion, and maybe, much like we’re seeing with the Commanders, this rebuild will bear a little more fruit than expected this year?
“I did not expect this,” Monumental Sports Network’s Chase Hughes told BMitch & Finlay Thursday. “Their two wins are against the same team, but the Hawks were in the play-in tournament last year, so they’re not bad – and the two teams they lost to are arguably the two best teams in the league.
Boston won the title last year and they’re 4-1, and Cleveland is 5-0. So it’s not just that they’re 2-2, it’s who they’ve played.”
One of the big reasons for where they are? A big step forward for Bilal Coulibaly, who grew an inch and 10 pounds over the last year and, at 20, still has room to grow.
“He’s has been so impressive. We knew he was athletic, we knew he could defend, but what he's done offensively this year has been, I think, a bigger leap than anyone expected to this point,” Hughes said. “A huge effect from his growth is thathe's just so aggressive and confident when he's on the court, playing like he knows he's one of the biggest, most athletic players on the floor. He worked a lot on his ball handling this off-season; when he broke his wrist down the stretch of last year, he had to basically only do things with his left hand for a few months, and he got to work and improved his left hand and you're seeing it in the numbers. He’s getting into the paint three times as often as he did last year, he’s shooting really well from three, and becoming a much better offensive player than anyone expected, especially with the ball in his hands. He’s been a primary ball handler and looking like he fits that part.”
Hughes has talked to scouts who thought Coulibaly would be available into the late-teens and twenties in last year’s draft, but he was a big riser then – the Wiz had to trade up to get him at No. 7 – and he’s just continuing that growth.
And that will help as the Wizards try to find the same path for this year’s lottery pick, Alex Sarr.
“He’s giving them a lot of really good defense. He's blocking a ton of shots, and he's had multiple blocks in each of his first four games, which is a franchise record to begin a career and I believe it's the longest streak any player's had since Joel Embiid back in 2016 to start an NBA career,” Hughes said. “He's showing up really well in terms of contested shots, and if one stat stood out to me, he’s up there around top five in the league in contested three-point shots, which is absolutely not normal for a seven-footer.
But it really illustrates the potential they saw in him to be a versatile player on both ends of the floor, but specifically on defense as someone who can cover a ton of ground and competently switch on the smaller players and hold his own on the perimeter. That's just not something a lot of big men can do.”
Last year’s class was better on the defensive end overall, in Hughes’ estimation, so Sarr’s skill set fits the Wizards’ mantra of building that defensive foundation.
“I think it’s really smart, because if you look at all the teams that go deep in the playoffs, they play defense,” Hughes said. “Bilal was a defensive pick, and now we're seeing the offense come around, but he was a defensive pick and so was Alex Sarr. GM Will Dawkins has said he’s a guy that they targeted for his defense in particular, and they'll wait and see what he can do offensively over time. So I think they're evaluating him more so on the defensive end than they are with the scoring, but they like his potential there, too. I don't think the percentages are going to be particularly high over the course of his rookie season, but you're also seeing flashes of his scoring as well.”
Take a listen to Hughes’ entire visit above, as he also talks about the other rookies so far, 2, and more!