Despite admittedly feeling lingering tightness in his lower back, Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly hardly seemed concerned. He played only 10 minutes in the Wizards’ loss to the LA Clippers on Wednesday because of lower back tightness. But Coulibaly stood by his locker and expressed optimism that he would return for Friday’s game against the Sacramento Kings.

That didn’t happen. The Wizards ruled him out both for that game and for Saturday’s contest against the Denver Nuggets. It’s fair to feign concern about Coulibaly’s durability after already missing 14 other games this season to recover from right hand surgery (four games), a right oblique strain (four), a left calf contusion (three), a sprained left ankle (two) and left lower leg tightness (one). But earlier in the week, Coulibaly stressed to EssentiallySports that he fully felt removed from his previous injuries.

The Wizards sure hope so. Amid an otherwise struggling season, the 21-year-old Frenchman has represented one of the team’s bright spots as the team’s main perimeter defender and additional scorer (10.1 points per game). In his third season, Coulibaly and Wizards coach Brian Keefe both agreed that he no longer seems as overwhelmed with defending the opposing team’s top player.

Entering Friday’s game against the Kings, the Wizards noted that Coulibaly has held opponents to a 49% clip on attempts at the rim when he’s the closest defender (95th percentile among all players, fifth among non-big players that have defended at least 90 attempts. They added that Coulibaly has averaged 1.9 steals per 36 minutes, which ranks in the Top 10 percentile in the league. According to tracking data, Coulibaly has held Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey (2-for-8) and Phoenix’s Devin Booker (4-for-14) to inefficient marks.

“There’s a learning curve to that,” Keefe said. “You have to go through the fire in this league. Now he’s not seeing this for the first time. This is the third or fourth or fifth time that he’s seen some of these high-level guys. And he has this great impact on our team when he’s out there defensively. Then, offensively, putting pressure on the rim and attacking. He was missed when he was out. But hopefully this will be a quick thing for him. You can see that in his growth.”

Coulibaly spoke to EssentiallySports about overcoming his previous injuries, his improved play, as well as his perspective on the Trae Young trade and Alex Sarr’s All-Star chances.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.

What’s it been like to see Trae so far?

Coulibaly: “When I used to be against him, I didn’t really like the guy (laughs). But now that he’s here, I’ve learned a little bit more about him. He’s a great guy. I’m really happy to have him on the team.”

What was he like as an opponent?

Coulibaly: “He was tough, man. He was getting tough baskets, and he was talking a little bit. But now, he’s nice now that he’s on the same team.”

What would he say?

Coulibaly: “A little bit of trash talking. I would get some stops. He would get some buckets. So we would talk a little bit back and forth. Now it’s good to have him back on my side.”

When you jawed back at him, what would you say to him?

Coulibaly: “That’s when I was getting stops. I was able to say that he was not able to get past me.”

What do you think Trae can do for the group once he’s back?

Coulibaly: “Oh, it’s great. We have a true point guard that can really pass the ball. He averages almost 10 assists a game and he can score the ball. He can do everything on the court. So he’s going to make everything easier for us.”

How about for you personally?

Coulibaly: “He’s going to be able to find me on the cuts a lot more. Whenever I’m cutting and whenever I’m standing in the corner, he’s going to find me. I just have to be ready and shoot it.”

For however many games he plays, what things do you hope you can iron out with him?

Coulibaly: “Definitely find those little lobs. I miss my lobs, you know (laughs). I’ll get those little lobs and some open 3s. I know he’s going to hit me with, especially with those transition lobs. I know it’s going to be a show.”

Beyond the record, what do you take away from this season?

Coulibaly: “We’re figuring things out. We know how to play better. We’re tougher. We’re learning every day and we’re getting better. As a team, we’re growing. Everybody is learning their role. So we’re making a big jump on that. For myself, I’m getting my rhythm back. I had a lot of injuries. But now I’ve been back for a little bit. I feel very good with my body. So I’m able to do whatever I can offensively and defensively.”

With your injuries, what were the turning points where you felt like you turned a corner with your recovery?

Coulibaly: “Once I came back from my ankle [injury], I felt really good. I just felt like my body could get through the games. I didn’t feel tired or anything. I had a lot of energy every night.”

What was it like having to deal with all of your injuries?

Coulibaly: “It was tough, man. It was tough. Whenever I was coming back, I was then getting injured. I would play two or three games, and then I would get injured again. So I thought something must be wrong. But I stayed with the process. I was still locked in and I kept working. I was eating well. I was sleeping well.”

What did that whole process look like?

Coulibaly: “It was tough. I felt like I was doing the same things and I still wasn’t able to play with the guys. I was off to the side and playing against coaches. I was doing things by myself. While everyone was at home, I was at the gym. It was tough not being with the team as much. But it feels good to be back. They were spending time with me and made sure that my body was feeling good. It took time. I took a lot of treatment. They took care of me. They did a great job.”

What were the challenges you all endured during that 14-game losing streak at the beginning of the season, and what did you all do to end that long stretch?

Coulibaly: “It was really hard. I’ve been in the league for three years now and it’s happened three years in a row. But we had a good talk with all of our teammates in the locker room. Since that day, we’ve been a lot better. We’ve been going to the games playing tough. We’re playing hard. We’re playing really physical. We’re fighting every night.”

What did you all address during your guys’ talk?

Coulibaly: “That we have to be tougher. We have to do the right things throughout the whole game. Sometimes we were doing the right things in the first half. But in the second half, we were coming out with lower energy. But now we’re staying focused for 48 minutes.”

What helped you all have better and more consistent focus?

Coulibaly: “It was more about knowing what you’re doing on the court, knowing who you’re playing against and watching the scouting report. It’s all about doing the right stuff.”

You and Keefe have both said this season that you’ve grown with your slashing, initiating the offense and attacking the rim. What has gone into that growth?

Coulibaly: “The coaches have a big part in that. They really want us to bring the ball up, run the plays and playmake. They’ve been helping us a lot.”

I just saw you also were diving into a lot of game footage after practice. What were you studying?

Coulibaly: “I was just watching my defensive tape from last game. I’m really trying to focus on what I can do better as well as what I did really well. I’m trying to be better.”

How do you evaluate your defense overall?

Coulibaly: “It’s been better lately. My body feels good so I just get out there and compete every night. I’ve been really active with my hands. I’ve been pressuring the ball. I feel good with all of that.”

After watching film, what are the things you’re trying to tweak?

Coulibaly: “I’m trying to keep doing the right things. I’m trying to fight over screens. I got to do better with that. I’m going to get better with defending off-the-ball. But other than that, I think I’m doing a solid job.”

I remember talking to you your rookie year about the challenge with getting the toughest defensive assignments. What’s that job like now that you have some more experience?

Coulibaly: “I love it because I know the guys now and their tendencies. I’m going against these guys every night. I know what they like and what they don’t like. But it’s still tough. Every night, I’m defending those guys (laughs). But I love it.”

Who’s been your most challenging opponent?

Coulibaly: “Brandon Ingram, probably. He’s still the toughest one.”

Why him?

Coulibaly: “He’s just so long. He can shoot over you. He’s really physical, too. If you stop him on the 3-point line, he’s going to back down on you. He never gives it up. So it’s a really tough matchup.”

Which matchup are you most proud of excelling?

Coulibaly: “I think defending D-Book [Suns guard Devin Booker]. I’ve been watching him a lot growing up. Going up against him is always fun. I think I’ve done a pretty good job. I force him into tough shots. He’s definitely going to make some. He’s a hell of a player. But I was just making it hard for him.”

In what ways have you seen Alex grow?

Coulibaly: “Oh man, he’s grown a lot. Defensively, he’s taking care of the paint. Whenever I get beat, he’s behind me and he blocks the shots. Offensively, he’s been way more aggressive with going to the rim. He was shooting a lot more 3s last year. But this year, he’s more about getting into the paint and getting a lot of dunks. He’s been a good playmaker, too, off the pick-and-roll. He’s gotten a lot better.”

Even with the record, does he have a case for the All-Star game?

Coulibaly: “That’s my All-Star.”

What’s your case?

Coulibaly: “In the East, he’s really been one of the best bigs since the start of the season. You can see every night that he’s going against the best bigs in the East and he’s doing his thing. He’s been doing great.”

What has jumped out to you about Tre Johnson’s development in his rookie season?

Coulibaly: “He’s been impressive. He’s really a bucket getter. When you’re not getting any baskets as a team, he’s able to get the ball and go anywhere he wants. He can shoot the ball. It goes in. He comes back like nothing has happened. He’s a real hooper, man. He’s a really talented guy.”

I hear he’s always in the gym…

Coulibaly: (interrupts). “Always. He always has a ball in his hands. You can tell he loves his basketball. He’s one of those guys that really works. You can tell. When he does a rep, it’s 100% every time. He’s really going hard. That’s what I like about him. Since preseason, I noticed that. So I told him, ‘Keep doing what you’re doing.’

When CJ was here and Khris (Middleton) still here, what are they like as vets?

Coulibaly: “They’re great guys. CJ knows a lot about the NBA. He talks about the NBPA stuff and all that. He talked a lot to us. Khris has a lot of experience and is an NBA champion. So he also talks consistently to us. They talked about the knowledge of the game. Whenever we were playing Milwaukee, Khris would tell me, ‘You should try this, you should try that.’ He was really helping me.”

With Trae and this young core, what do you think you can do next season?

Coulibaly: “I think we can go far. You can tell with Trae coming, he’s trying to do something good. We’re going to fight and compete.”

Mark Medina is an NBA insider for EssentiallySports. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.