Bilal Coulibaly, 21, averaged 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 offensive boards, 3.4 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 1.1 three-point field goals per game in 2024-25 while shooting 28.1 percent from the field. His on-ball defense produced elite results, with NBA University data showing he guarded Jayson Tatum for 115 possessions and held Tatum to a 36.8 percent True Shooting Percentage in those matchups. Coulibaly also limited other stars—Trae Young went 5-of-28 and Stephen Curry 7-of-18 when defended by him. Opponents shot 1.8 percent worse overall with Coulibaly as the primary defender, including a 4.9 percent drop on three-point attempts and a 3.2 percent decline within six feet.
One area in which Coulibaly is quietly making remarkable strides is on the defensive end of the floor-where he's flashed legitimate lockdown potential. Coulibaly, 21, is coming off of a season in which he averaged 12.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 offensive boards, 3.4 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 1.1 three-point field goals made per game. He shot just 28.1 percent from the field, but the all-around potential of his game was on full display.
Perhaps his most underrated area of brilliance was his on-ball defense-with NBA University revealing that Coulibaly locked Jayson Tatum down across 115 possessions in 2024-25. Tatum posted a dreadful True Shooting Percentage of just 36.8 percent against Coulibaly in 2024-25-the second-lowest he amassed against any defender in the top 15 of possessions played against him. For perspective: Tatum finished the 2024-25 season averaging 26.8 points per game with a True Shooting Percentage of 58.2.
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