Victor Wembanyama Hypes Bilal Coulibaly: 'Deserves' to Be Top 5 2023 NBA Draft Pick

Victor Wembanyama believes his French league teammate Bilal Coulibaly should be right behind him at the top of the 2023 NBA draft.

Wembanyama and Coulibaly's team, the Metropolitans 92, made the French league final Sunday with a 71-69 win over the EuroLeague club ASVEL. Coulibaly helped his team to victory by racking up 16 points on 7-for-12 shooting.

Wembanyama, who recorded 15 points of his own, shared a highlight compilation from Coulibaly's performance on Twitter as a case for his teammate to become a top-five selection. Wembanyama is expected to be selected by the San Antonio Spurs as the No. 1 pick.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected Coulibaly going at No. 22 to the Brooklyn Nets last month, but on June 2 said there were rumors Coulibaly has been granted a lottery promise and could go before No. 14. In Wasserman's latest draft prediction, he has Coulibaly selected by the Toronto Raptors at No. 13.

"Teams in the late lottery have been considering the 18-year-old who's making an impact for Victor Wembanyama's Mets 92 with his effortless bounce, two-way activity and spot-up shooting," Wasserman wrote. "Recent flashes of self-creation have only made Coulibaly look more enticing weeks before the draft."

It's been an abrupt rise for Coulibaly, who before this season was considered a long-term development project and has since become an anticipated draft pick as he found success in the top level of the French league. Coulibaly has limited high-level experience but boasts a reported 7'3" wingspan, already making him an intimidating defender, and regularly demonstrates impressive athleticism and mobility on the court.

Coulibaly's success in the French league playoffs, timed perfectly just weeks before the draft, is making him a more intriguing prospect than ever. Wembanyama certainly thinks so. The draft order on June 22 will tell us if NBA scouts do as well.