Bilal Coulibaly Expected to Miss Up to Eight Weeks After Thumb Surgery
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Washington Wizards wing Bilal Coulibaly is projected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb, according to Grant Afseth of RG.
The 21-year-old suffered the injury while playing for the French national team at EuroBasket. With the NBA regular season set to open on October 21, the current timeline would force Coulibaly to miss at least the first week of games. Even if he returns on the early side, he must complete a full ramp-up before rejoining game action.
“Usually, you’re not touching a basketball, unless it’s just to do off-hand work, until that six-week mark,” a source told Afseth. “Then he’d have to do contact work before playing.”
Coulibaly averaged 12.3 points, 3.4 assists and 1.3 steals for Washington last season but sat out the final 23 contests because of a hamstring strain. His three-point accuracy dipped from 34.6 percent as a rookie to 28.1 percent in his sophomore campaign while his offensive responsibilities increased.
Once cleared, the 2023 lottery pick is expected to resume a prominent role in the Wizards’ rebuild, slotting alongside 2025 first-round selection Tre Johnson on the wing. Afseth also reported that Coulibaly’s French and Wizards teammate Alex Sarr withdrew from EuroBasket after sustaining a calf injury.
Source: Hoops Rumors
