He might be Exum but he is super tantalizing. I dislike his lack of aggression and taking over and that is why he is not a top ten player but everything else he does is promising and if he hits then he can be an all-star in the league or he can fizzle due to his lack of confidence.
2023 NBA Draft Megathread
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seattlejazzfan
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i assume we're talking about bilal here. i'm fine with taking bilal specifically or anybody we worry might be the next exum at 28. the risk is fine that late in the draft. if he exceeds the expectation great. if he's nothing more than exum, at 28, you can live with that.
I have referred to Bilal as kind of an Exum-ish prospect before, for better or worse. Like I said, these are fair questions an concerns to have about Bilal. For this reason I've said his most likely outcome is something like McDaniels or Herb Jones. That's basically the role he plays now and it's what I would expect his role to be in the NBA as well. I still have high hopes for Bilal, however, because if I'm going to believe in anyone having that insane development trajectory it's him. He was a late bloomer and not even well known in France before this year. He's reportedly grown in 9 inches in the last couple years which is what started this huge upwards trajectory. I think going from relative unknown in his own country to starting and playing 30+ minutes for a senior team in a do or die game is a huge achievement for about a years worth of time.
Your point is well taken though. How much does his dominant offensive play matter at the Junior level? If it doesn't mean much to you I can't really blame you. But for me it means something, and I also think he's done well when given the chance on the senior team. He had good production when he was given the chance to play backup PG, for example. I also have a soft spot for Exum and think that if he wasn't constantly rehabbing he would be a much different player. I will never forget when he game Marcus Smart the business in summer league lol. Bilal is a much better physical specimen and also has a much tougher mentality on the court. For these reasons I think he is a relatively "safe" pick because he will likely be able to carve out a Derrick Jones Jr type career if the offense doesn't materialize. I like my chances with him from both a ceiling/floor standpoint.
I think most people are looking at him at #16 or #28, but even if we're talking about #9 that second question pops up for just about anyone in terms of the high ceiling. If guys like Hendricks and Dick can become stars in the NBA, why didn't they have a bigger role in college? Agree or disagree, the most simple explanation is that they can't. The NBA is difficult and being a big time offensive player may be the hardest thing to do. They obviously showed more, but it was a lower level of competition than the French league. It's a weird eval because you see Bilal play at both a higher and likely lower level of competition than NCAA guys.
The guys who have obvious high end offensive potential and have demonstrated this will all go much higher in the draft. Some of the guys who will be drafted higher haven't proven much more than Bilal tbh.
I posted this in the 2024, thread.....but I think this is relevant to the topic. Slightly out of date, but this compares Bilal Coulibaly to Zaccharie Risacher (DX has him #3 next year). Risacher is 8.5 months younger than Bilal. The French Senior league is not easy for a super young player. There's a reason why Wemby is Wemby.
That's interesting. I didn't know about his growth spurt. Might have some hidden potential...
At what junior level? His stats with France's U18 are worse than Dante's were for Australia. Or do you mean in the French U18 or whatever they call it league? Yeah, I don't think I would even look at those. Keep in mind what the level of competition is there. On Dante... yep... I have a soft spot for him too(still have his Jazz jersey) and I feel like he had some of the most horrible luck I've seen for a prospect. But still... even in the beginning, before the injuries I was watching Australia's games during the summer and he was given practically zero on-ball responsibilities. And this was what was we hoped to be our PG. His injuries just stunted his development and whatever hopes we had for him were gone.
I think at 9 we can have better prospect. Hendricks or Dick actually have legitimate NBA skills that will let them play immediately and would give them opportunity to work on their skills in in-game situations. I'm not sure if Bilal will be able to play at all right now. At 28 absolutely... go get him and take a shot on him.
Handlogten's Heros
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Bilal should have stayed with the JV team.
Here's a link to the DX article that talks about his rise. His trajectory is kind of insane and so much has changed in the last year or two for him. Hell, so much has changed for him just in the last couple of months.
Coulibaly joins teammate Wembanyama in draft
Bilal Coulibaly, a projected first-round pick who has broken out playing alongside Victor Wembanyama for Metropolitans 92 in Paris, has submitted paperwork to make himself eligible for the 2023 NBA draft.
Yeah I'm talking about the U21 league in France. I posted some numbers above with a comparison to an elite 2024 prospect. Like I said, I can see why you might just throw that out....but I would say also understand the level of competition that the French Senior League is. It's not a cakewalk unless you're Wemby. You toss most prospects in the French League and they're also in the Bilal role so I don't really hold it against him. His unique development trajectory as a late bloomer also creates a lot of hope for me in terms of high end potential. His YOY development is massive and I think he's only scratching the surface. If I'm going to take a bet on which player is going to make an insane development his trajectory is the type that I would bet on. Having said that, I think it's fair to question the sky high potential but that isn't the only reason why I like him. His defense is super impressive and I think he could step into the NBA today and contribute on that end. His path to getting on the court is quite clear which gives him a chance to develop.
I'm the founder of Bilal island so I'm biased, I'll admit that. I understand hesitation to draft him at #9...but IMO he would be a home run pick #16 but I'm skeptical he will be there. I do see him as Exum-ish and would hesitate to take him top 5 like Exum was, but I also think he has proven more, has better raw physical tools, has a much better mentality, and is not expected to be a PG. At #9 it gets interesting IMO and at #16 that's an awesome bet to make.
For his draft stock, maybe. Mystery is often king when it comes to the draft. But it's really good for his development to be playing minutes at a high level of competition.
It’s great if he’s there at 28. I still feel queasy about drafting him at 16, but enough invisible performances and I might not have to worry too much.
There is no way we move up to 3rd without giving up Lauri, but I wish we could find a way to move up to 4th or 5th.
View: https://twitter.com/JazzNationNews/status/1662160525369933824
View: https://twitter.com/JazzNationNews/status/1662160525369933824
zyzz
Well-Known Member
His performances are only pedestrian from a scoring standpoint. That’s not his role and he makes an impact on the game in other ways. When given the chance to do more at the Senior level he did more.
But who knows, there are definitely some who would be more intrigued if he chucked up some garbage. I am not actually sure if being a good role player at a high level of completion helps him. If all he did was stomp on poor competition, like the Twins for example, it would be a different kind of conversation and one that could be more favorable to Bilal.
He also may have no predraft process and that could very much work against him. But at the same time players have done less and got drafted higher.
framer
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If we had executed the tank perfectly we would be drafting at 5 and this last year would have been miserable and few here would have watched the games this season. It also would have required trading Lauri for scraps. I'm OK with having had a fun season, a near all NBA player in the All Star Game, and drafting only four spots back with the assets to move up if we need to.
framer
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It also amuses me that "experts" are marking some sort of clear distinction between the Thompson Twins. They have no idea who will be better as there isn't enough public information, especially recent information to make that determination.
It kind of feels like we are dealing with NFTs instead of NBA players.
It kind of feels like we are dealing with NFTs instead of NBA players.
Handlogten's Heros
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Lots of assumptions that just aren’t true. Had we lost 4 more games and assumed Portlands spot then we are drafting 3rd. Just a couple more losses and we are drafting 6th. None of that would require trading Lauri or having a miserable season. To drop into the bottoms 4 sure… but there were many super close wins that could have flipped and we’d be in a much better spot.
It still may work out and be fine of course but the difference between us and Portland, Orlando, Indiana and Washington isn’t huge… to trade into those spots it costs at least one future first imo… to get top 3 way more.
I think I'd be OK with him at 16, but not sure I'd be jumping with joy...
OTE is great for their draft stock because you can imagine them becoming any player you want. You can’t really prove that they will be that player, but also can’t prove that they won’t be that player. If I was an elite recruit, I would go this route to solidify my status. I bet guys like GG and Dillon Mitchell would have really benefitted from OTE draft stock wise. Mystery is almost always good for draft stock.
framer
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Nope, you don't get the benefit if hindsight. You advocated tanking hard, looking for the bast possible chance at Wemby. That path ended up having the worst possible outcome.
And losing close games on purpose is pretty sleazy. How is that much different than point shaving?
Handlogten's Heros
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Sorry but its not hindsight... I said all along we should be losing more. And it wasn't just for Wemby... people would then argue about 6-7 not being any different than 10-14 and draft history would say they are the same... yada yada.
Its this assumption that you must be the worst team in the league to tank properly... or you didn't even tank. I said all along you hope to get top 4 but if not you want to be as high as possible as there is actual measurable value on draft night. Now we are looking at Ausar/Cam/Amen like "man I wish those guys would slip" and in reality not only are those guys most likely gone... the guys behind them in Taylor and Jarace are likely gone too.
You don't have to lose close games on purpose lol... again all year I've had the same message... it is not on the coach to tank... its on the front office. If they had simply done a version of the Lakers deal that included Bogey instead of doing the KO deal then we lose several more games. KO hit a couple game winners and had some humongous performances. If we could trade KO and 9 for #6 all of us would do it in a second. That was the mistake we made.
