By Joël Pütz | Sports journalist
A Betclic Elite player just a year ago, Bilal Coulibaly experienced quite a transition when he made his NBA debut. His rookie season having ended, the French winger named the main differences between the two leagues at the microphone of BeIN Sports.
He certainly missed the end of the season due to a major hand injury, but Bilal Coulibaly can be satisfied with his first campaign in the NBA. Amid the slump that was the Wizards in 2023-24, the Frenchman was able to do well and even managed to become a starter during the year, relegating superstar Jordan Poole to the bench. Not bad for the third-youngest player in the league.
Less than one after his draft in eighth position, the leaders of the capital therefore did not have to regret their bet by betting on him. Already largely up to par defensively, the winger also showed progress in attack throughout the season and quickly became the darling of the DC public. Not bad for a young player who was still playing in the French championship a few months ago.
Bilal Coulibaly impressed by the atmosphere of the NBA rooms
In 2022-23, Coulibaly indeed wore the colors of Boulogne-Levallois alongside Victor Wembanyama, with whom he went to the Betclic Elite final. Suffice to say that he experienced quite a change of scenery by making the jump across the Atlantic. The tricolor nugget also spoke about the differences between the two leagues, during a question-and-answer session organized by the channel BeIN Sports :
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I would say, the pitch is already much bigger, so we feel it when we defend against very, very good players. And the atmosphere too, the atmosphere in the gymnasiums is impressive.
No wonder the rookie was so marked by this last detail, he who discovered basketball halls with 20,000 seats or more this season. And he hasn’t yet tasted the atmosphere of the playoffs!
Still 19 years old, the young Frenchman had the opportunity to play in legendary venues such as Madison Square Garden in New York or the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. However, there is another room that he prefers:
I really liked the TD Garden in Boston. Yeah, it was magical.
Coulibaly can rejoice, he will have the chance to play the Celtics three times a year with Washington and trips to Massachusetts will therefore necessarily be expected. If he continues to progress, he could also be entitled to a lot of playing time each time, especially since his franchise sincerely hopes to make him a major player in its future projects.
Not only does Bilal Coulibaly have to cover much more ground in the NBA than in the French championship, but he also faces hotter audiences in the United States. Nothing to destabilize the Habs, however, to the delight of the Wizards.
2024-04-25 20:30:00
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