Sports

Wizards rookie Bilal Coulibaly out for rest of season with fractured wrist

NBA: MAR 16 Wizards at Bulls

NBA: MAR 16 Wizards at Bulls

Rookie Bilal Coulibaly — one of the few rays of sunshine in an otherwise dreary Wizards season — will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a fractured hand on Sunday, the team has announced.

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

The injury happened against the Bulls, and the Wizards first said it was simply a wrist contusion, but further testing revealed the fracture.

Coulibaly was the No. 7 pick in last June’s draft (most fans will remember him as the point guard from Victor Wembanyama‘s French team). Coulibaly’s play has improved over the course of the season as he’s found his game in an NBA setting. In his last five games he averaged 11.6 points a game, with 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 32% from 3. He’s looked like the point guard of the future in Washington.

With the Wizards at 11-57 and nowhere near the postseason, there was no reason to push Coulibaly to play again this season.