The Washington Wizards have the worst record in the NBA right now at 11-57, and they have seemingly nothing to play for.
They have been in a perpetual rebuild for much of the last several decades, and they have pinned some hope for the future on rookie forward Bilal Coulibaly.
Yet Coulibaly injured his wrist a couple of days ago, and he has been diagnosed with a right wrist fracture that has prematurely ended his season, per the team’s official Twitter account.
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.
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) March 18, 2024
Coulibaly is originally from France, and he spent last season, his age-18 season, with the Metropolitans 92, which allowed him the luxury of being a teammate of Victor Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs’ rookie prodigy.
Coulibaly is 6-foot-6, but he reportedly has a 7-foot-2 wingspan, which led scouts to be optimistic about his defensive potential at the next level.
Offensively, he hasn’t quite panned out, and he’s averaging 8.4 points and 4.1 rebounds a game while shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from 3-point range.
The Wizards are in a situation where they are evaluating several young players and determining whether they deserve to be a part of their future.
One player who has been a disappointment is guard Jordan Poole, who won an NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors two seasons ago but has failed to return to the level of production he displayed back then.
This season, he’s shooting just 41.1 percent overall and 32.4 percent from downtown.
He was acquired last July in the deal that sent veteran guard Chris Paul to Golden State.
NEXT: Jordan Poole Has Honest Admission About Coming Off The Bench