Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly is not afraid to speak his mind after just one full year in the NBA. Just one month after playing the final game of his rookie season, Coulibaly is already taking shots at a former champion and two-time All-Star.
Coulibaly, who finished his inaugural NBA season averaging 8.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, joined the Fanduel TV show Run It Back on May 14. On the episode, host Michelle Beadle asked the Wizards guard to clarify a previous statement on Pacers power forward Pascal Siakam, to which he doubled down on his claim that the Cameroonian All-Star is less complicated to defend than some may believe.
Along with Beadle, Run It Back is co-hosted by NBA reporter Shams Charania and former players Chandler Parsons and Lou Williams. All four staples of the show were present for the conversation with Coulibaly.
Washington Wizards Rookie Bilal Coulibaly Dismisses Pacers Forward
Bilal Coulibaly stands by his comments calling Pascal Siakam ‘overrated’
“I watch the films, I know what he was about to do when he was going left, spinning around, going right. I was like, yeah, he was the easiest superstar to guard”
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 13, 2024
On the Fanduel TV program Run It Back, Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly, 19, was asked if his previous statement dismissing the skill set of Pascal Siakam was misinterpreted. Sticking to his original comment, Coulibaly credited Siakam as a “superstar” but claimed he “knew what [Siakam] was doing” on the court after studying the veteran on film. The rookie guard stated:
I stand by what I said. He’s not overrated but they were asking me who is the easiest superstar to guard. I was like Pascal, you know I watch the films and I knew what he was about to do when he was going left, you know, spinning around, going right. I was like yeah, he is the easiest superstar to guard.
Ironically, Siakam and Coulibaly were not far apart from being teammates. Coulibaly was originally selected by the Indiana Pacers with the seventh overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft but was immediately traded to the Wizards for Jarace Walker. Siakam began the year with the Toronto Raptors but was traded to the Pacers on Jan. 17.
Siakam has not responded to the dismissive statements of Coulibaly but at the time of the Run It Back episode airing, the Pacers are preparing for a pivotal game five of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks. The series enters the fifth chapter tied at 2-2 heading back to Madison Square Garden, home of the second-seeded Knicks.
Pascal Siakam Stats When Guarded By Bilal Coulibaly
According to NBA.com, Coulibaly spent a total of 4:02 guarding Siakam during the regular season. In that time, Siakam scored seven total points while making one of his three field goal attempts and five of six free throws courtesy of three fouls drawn.
The two have only played each other twice thus far, both games occurring when Siakam was a member of the Raptors before being traded on Jan. 17. In those two games, Siakam averaged 30.5 points overall against the Wizards, including a 39-point game on Nov. 13, 2023.
Should a rivalry between the two culminate as a result of the interview, Siakam will own the head-to-head advantage, having won both games against the Frenchman.
About the Author
Jaren Kawada is a freelance sports writer from Indianapolis, Indiana with a strong passion for MMA and sports betting. Kawada has also written for Sportskeeda MMA, FanSided MMA, and BetSided as a combat sports analyst.
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