Washington Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly has been cleared to make his season debut in 2025-26. Wizards head coach Brian Keefe said Wednesday that Coulibaly will be available for Thursday’s road game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Bilal Coulibaly is entering his third NBA season
Coulibaly was immediately traded by the Indiana Pacers after being selected seventh overall in the 2023 NBA draft. The 6-foot-4 wing has spent the last two seasons of his pro career with the Wizards.
According to ESPN’s Shams CharaniaCoulibaly underwent surgery last month to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. He suffered that injury while playing for the French national team at EuroBasket and missed the entire preseason, in addition to the first four games of the regular season.
Bilal Coulibaly speaks to the media ahead of his season debut:
– it feels like he is in top form
– worked a lot on his left hand
– says the team could put more pressure on ballhandlers, which he can provideHe also said he will wear the shawl on his hand for much of the season. https://t.co/hIRXUkMFoI pic.twitter.com/A0dvB2fjRv
— Bijan Todd (@bijan_todd) October 29, 2025
Coulibaly was a full-time starter for the Wizards last season, averaging 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 33 minutes per game in 59 games.
Through four games of the regular season, Washington used a starting five of Bub Carrington, CJ McCollum, Kyshawn George, Khris Middleton and Alex Sarr.
It’s unclear if Keefe plans to move Coulibaly into the starting lineup. The 21-year-old could potentially come off the bench as he did during his 2023-24 rookie season.
Wizards can move Coulibaly to the second unit
Based on how well George is currently playing, Coulibaly could enter his third season as a backup.
As a full-time starter, George is averaging career highs of 20.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.5 blocks and 33 minutes while shooting career bests of 53.7% from the field and 53.8% from 3-point range.
Per SpotterCoulibaly is one of six Washington players to sign contracts that include a rookie-scale team option for 2026-2027. The Wizards have until Friday’s deadline to make decisions on these options.
Wizards forward Kyshawn George set a new career-high with 26 points in tonight’s game against Dallas (previously 24, January 16, 2025 vs. Phoenix).#ForTheDistrict
— Wizards PR (@WizPRStats) October 25, 2025
Washington is 1-3 after four games to start the 2205-26 season.
Last season, the Wizards started 2-2 before going on a 16-game losing streak. They went on to finish 18-64 and 15th in the Eastern Conference standings.
Brian Keefe, who served as interim head coach the previous season following the firing of Wes Unseld Jr., was named the 26th head coach in Wizards franchise history in May 2024.
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