Southeast Notes: Coulibaly, Gardner, Edwards, Magic, Hornets

Wizards big man Anthony Davis is bullish on Bilal Coulibaly’s defensive potential, according to Chase Hughes of Monumental Sports Network (Twitter video link). Davis thinks the French forward basically has no ceiling on the defensive end, adding that he has the combination of size, foot speed and strength to battle the top wings in the NBA.

Davis, a five-time All-Defensive selection, specifically mentioned Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George as players Coulibaly can match up against, per Hughes.

Starting in place of the injured AJ Dybantsa, Coulibaly recorded four steals and two blocks in 29 minutes in Wednesday’s season-opening win over Milwaukee. It was the first time in 51 years that a Wizards player had notched at least four steals and two blocks in a season opener (Twitter link via the team). The 22-year-old also had seven deflections, Hughes notes (via Twitter).

Assuming he’s given a qualifying offer, Coulibaly will be a restricted free agent next summer after failing to reach an agreement with the Wizards on a rookie scale extension prior to Monday’s deadline.

We have more from the Southeast:

• Second-year forward Myron Gardner initiated some trash talk with Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards during Minnesota’s blowout victory over the Heat on Wednesday, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “A player on their bench was talking trash on one of the dead-ball situations,” Edwards said after scoring 45 points in both teams’ season opener. “And I think it kind of crunked me up because he was talking pretty crazy. And then when I started talking to him, he didn’t really have too much more to say. And I don’t really like that. If you’re going to talk s–t, keep talking s–t. Don’t get quiet. So I think that was pretty much the reason why I was super intense tonight.”
• For his part, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said he’d like Gardner – who also had a run-in with Klay Thompson last season – to be more discerning about who he chooses to talk smack to — especially when he’s not in the game. “I love Myron’s competitive spirit, and he wants to infuse energy into the group,” Spoelstra said after Thursday’s practice. “You also have to be smart about it. I particularly don’t want him talking trash to the other team’s best scorers, especially when he’s not out there. But he’s got a good heart. He means the right thing. He’ll be better.” Gardner, whose contract is partially guaranteed for $500K, only played three garbage-time minutes in the lopsided loss, Chiang notes.
• While the Magic scored 125 points in their season opener on Wednesday, it wasn’t enough to overcome some costly mistakes, per Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. The Magic gave up 132 points to Atlanta, including 60 in the paint, and struggled with turnovers (20), fouls (the Hawks shot 36 free throws) and transition defense (Atlanta had 18 fast-break points). “I think the intent was there and our hearts were in the right place to play the right way,” head coach Sean Sweeney said Thursday. “Now, we need to do a little bit of a better job of executing.“
• The Hornets will be shorthanded again for Friday’s matchup with Minnesota, as Coby White (left calf strain), Kon Knueppel (left hamstring strain), Grant Williams (right hamstring strain) and two-way rookie Kylan Boswell (right knee surgery) remain out, the team announced (via Twitter). Knueppel and Williams suffered their hamstring injuries in the offseason, while White strained his calf during training camp.