To start the season, Bilal’s usage% hovered around 13%. [In his last 6 games he has logged 17.5%](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask?q=bilal+coulibaly+usage%25+last+5+games)
His counting stats: 13.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.
61.5 FG%
43.5 3PT% on 3.8 attempts per game
56.3 FT% – probably the most baffling part of his game. The shot looks fine. He’s a great 3pt shooter. No idea if this is just a mental thing for him or something else that makes him uncomfortable at the line.
10 assists vs. 16 turnovers for a pretty bad AST/TO ratio of 0.67. His biggest problem continues to be his inability to dribble through defenders. He looks great making straight line drives to the basket, but most of the time he’s probably going to lose his handle or be forced to pick up the dribble.
He’s looking waaaaaay ahead of schedule, but we’ll have to see how he looks once he hits the rookie wall and the fatigue catches up with him.
11 comments
He’s shooting a better percentage from 3 on a comparable volume to rookie Beal and Kispert and they were both highly touted marksmen 👀
Im sure he can bring up the FT % to 70-75% once he has been in the league a few years. Probably just gets the yips when he gets to the line since all eyes are on you at that point.
If he improves his handle he’s gonna be a stud. I hope they start him soon
Wondering if the FT thing is just not having shot all that many in his career to this point. Standing at the line always seems like it should be the easiest part, but like anything else, it only improves with repetition.
The fact that he belongs in the rotation and is playing well despite being the 3rd youngest player in the league, and also labeled as a project, I am overjoyed by what Bilal has done so far.
It’s nice to see our franchise developing a prospect properly tbh, he’s not being forced to do anything he’s not comfortable with, but he’s being given a lot of minutes (averaging the 5th highest MPG of all rookies from this class) to make his mistakes and figure it out, is truly wonderful to see. I’m still gonna lay off the comparisons as I still don’t know who he reminds me of, but I love where he’s headed if this is how he’s started
Unpopular but their development plan for him has been excellent. Eased him in and then slowly increase his role as he gets progressively more comfortable. Good process imho when you’re not fully in “let’s play 10 sub-24 year olds and see what happens” mode yet like the Pistons, Spurs (or the Wizards in 2026)
I believe his handle will improve greatly over time, especially once he’s finished growing.
If he develops a handle, he could be a real star. Even if he never does, though, he’s on track to be a starter on a good team.
I’m on the verge of going back and watching all his free throw attempts, play shot doctor 🧑⚕️
The amount of progress he’s made in 2 months is incredibly impressive. He’s clearly a very hard worker and a quick study. Add another inch of height, 20 lbs of muscle, and an off-season of ball handling work… he’s going to be a force in this league for years to come.
Side note…Bilal is REALLY good…we all know this. Unlimited potential. However, does anyone remember before the season started when WUJ was suggesting that he needed time in the G-League? How did the head coach not know what we had in him from the jump?
I’m very impressed with how fast he’s progressed.
He’s driving much better with his left hand. His 3 pt shot looks more in rhythm without as much hesitation.