Washington Wizards Rumors

Luckily for Coulibaly, he’s had Tyler Relph to challenge him to do so. A former Mr. New York Basketball winner, West Virginia recruit and St. Bonaventure standout, Relph turned his attention to molding current and future pros after his career was over. Since 2009, he’s worked with over 10,000 players at all levels, including household-name NBA and WNBA clientele. He instructs at private sessions and also has his own gym at the Tyler Relph Basketball Lab in Addison, Texas, which opened in Oct. 2020. Relph’s methods are careful and detailed — and equally as intense. Since Coulibaly is just 20 years old, he doesn’t hold back.

4 hours ago – via Responsible Gaming

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Bilal Coulibaly, Washington Wizards

Washington, by far, leads the NBA in rookie minutes played (4,446) and employed its youngest starting five since 1970 on Oct. 30, 2024. Though they’re not a winning team by any stretch of the imagination, the franchise is fostering an environment where maturation can happen organically. “I think for any player, development is a process of are you in a position where you can learn from your mistakes and make mistakes,” Relph said. “You can’t be afraid to make mistakes, especially if you’re in a developmental process. He’s still young. He’s still in that developmental stage. He’s not a 30-year-old vet where it’s like, ‘Hey man, you can’t make these mistakes. If you make any of these mistakes, we’ve got to take you out.’ “So I think it’s very beneficial for him where he’s at. I think Washington’s done a great job as far as his development and understanding him as a player. Their organization deserves a lot of credit for what they’re doing.”

4 hours ago – via Responsible Gaming

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Bilal Coulibaly, Washington Wizards

“Just seeing guys like Victor, myself, Zacch, Alex getting drafted so high, all the guys are like, ‘Man, I can do this too,’ so they put extra work in,” Coulibaly told RG. “They listen to coaches and everything. You’ve got good coaches, too, in France. That’s how we keep getting better.” Earning a silver medal in each of the last two Olympics, France is creeping closer and closer to that gold. Being around longtime national team vets has left an imprint on Coulibaly and the next generation, especially Nicolas Batum. “He talked to me a lot this summer,” Coulibaly said. “Whenever we were eating, in the locker room, playing or not playing, he was always talking to me. And showing it on the court, he was playing the hardest. He plays so hard, it’s actually impressive.”

4 hours ago – via Responsible Gaming

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Bilal Coulibaly, Nicolas Batum, Los Angeles Clippers, Washington Wizards

On a Tuesday afternoon when Marcus Smart did little but rest and heal his body, he still looks beat up. He has just completed a mandatory meeting, and though it’s still a shock to see him strolling inside the Washington Wizards’ practice facility, he’s covered in a team-issued gray sweatsuit as he takes a seat on the side of the gym. The Wizards’ logo seems foreign on him, but those stitches above his left eye make him look familiar. “Took a headbutt,” Smart says. “It was actually my first game here.” During his Feb. 21 debut with the Wizards, Smart, one of the grittiest, fieriest, most passionate players in the NBA, came off the bench for the worst team in the NBA. And though he played just 17 minutes that night, midway through his stint he would require three stitches. Then he came back in the game.

1 day ago – via Washington Post

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Marcus Smart, Washington Wizards

I respond to this story by muttering “That’s …,” trying to find the right word. That’s … crazy? That’s … apropos? Smart chimes in and finishes the thought. “That’s me,” he says, smiling.

1 day ago – via Washington Post

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Marcus Smart, Washington Wizards

Smart, who turned 31 on Thursday, seems to have thought this one through. While looking out over the busy practice court, his new teammates getting up shots, Smart considers his reality and accepts the challenge. “Controlling what I can control is my motto now as I’ve gotten older,” Smart says, “and I think that helps a lot because we are put to the test. When you’re such a competitor and you’re so passionate, [then] to come to a team that’s young, rebuilding in a sense, you know, trying to figure it out. You know, it is frustrating, but the older you get, that experience, I went through it. So now I can see, sit down and understand by looking from 2017 till now, what can I do differently? And that is the way I respond.”

1 day ago – via Washington Post

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Marcus Smart, Washington Wizards

Yes, that was the same Marcus Smart. But one with surgical scars on his right fist serving as reminders that he needed to grow up, and a reputation he’s ready to shake. “It’s been a challenge for me, it definitely has. In 2017, wow, so I was [23]. So I was young, that was eight years ago,” Smart said, recalling the incident in Washington’s visitors’ locker room. “Growing and coming into the league at that time, everything was heightened. But I still ‘ till this day hate losing … but now it’s more understanding: ‘Hey, this is the situation you’re in. How are you going to respond? How are you going to let it affect you?’”

1 day ago – via Washington Post

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Marcus Smart, Washington Wizards

Despite standing 7 feet, Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr has spent much of his rookie season finding it difficult to score in the paint. The Frenchman’s adjustment to the physical nature of the NBA has been reflected most in his struggles to score at the rim. But in a 125-122 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday at Capital One Arena, Sarr showed signs of growth. The rookie scored 21 points and missed just one of his seven shots in the paint, displaying a willingness to initiate — and play through — contact near the basket. “Definitely just trying to be aggressive,” Sarr said, “get some easy ones around the rim before spacing out.” Wizards Coach Brian Keefe distilled what he wanted Sarr to take from the performance in simple terms: “Be aggressive, establish yourself early in the paint,” Keefe said. “That collapses the defense. He’s such a good passer, that’s going to lead to him finding other guys.”

1 day ago – via Washington Post

Brian Keefe, Uncategorized

Brian Keefe, Alex Sarr, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards