Promising Young Wizards Player Could Miss Start of 2025-26 NBA Season

The Washington Wizards are set to be one of the worst teams in the NBA next season once again. They’ve traded away their top two scorers in Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma, and will start next season with one of the youngest and least experienced rosters in the league. 

One of the few bright spots in their last season was the sophomore season improvement of Bilal Coulibaly. Coulibaly had a solid rookie season, averaging 8.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 0.9 steals per game. He showed a ton of potential, especially on the defensive side of the ball. 

He built on that solid rookie season with a super-solid sophomore campaign. He averaged 12.3 points, 5 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. Many were expecting a big third-year jump for the young guard. 

That, however, may need to wait. While playing for Team France in this year’s FIBA EuroBasket tournament, Coulibaly tore a ligament in his thumb. He instantly flew to New York to have surgery, but is still expected to miss some time. 

So now the Wizards may be starting their season without one of their starters. Coulibaly could potentially heal in time to make opening night, but the Wizards have little incentive to rush him back. Whether he joins a few weeks in or is ready on opening night, it won’t change the Wizards' season. 

They are going to lose a lot next year. All Wizards fans can hope for is that no more injuries like this happen. The best possible outcome for the Wizards is for players like Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly to stay healthy and start building some chemistry as the future key players on this team.