The Los Angeles Lakers made an intriguing addition recently, signing center Christian Koloko to a two-way contract. A second-round pick in 2022, Koloko was waived by the Toronto Raptors and placed on the NBA’s fitness-to-play list after the discovery of blood clots that threatened to end his career.
As it currently stands, Koloko still has yet to be cleared by the panel, but the Lakers believe that clearance will eventually come and are banking on the potential of the defensive-minded seven-footer. With the regular season around the corner, it now looks as if a decision will be coming soon.
According to Dave McMenamin and Shams Charania of ESPN, a decision from the fitness-to-play panel is expected soon and there is optimism within the Lakers that it will be good news:
As the Lakers part with Castleton, there is optimism within the franchise surrounding Christian Koloko’s status. Sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN that a decision from the NBA’s “fitness-to-play” panel is expected very soon.
L.A. signed the 7-foot-1 Koloko to a two-way deal in the offseason in the hopes of adding big man depth behind Anthony Davis on the roster.
Koloko, the No. 33 pick in the 2022 NBA draft by the Toronto Raptors, missed all of last season with a blood clot issue and needs to be cleared by the league’s fitness-to-play panel consisting of an NBA-appointed doctor, a players union-appointed doctor and a mutually agreed upon third doctor before he can participate in basketball activities for L.A.
As was noted, the Lakers released two-way big man Colin Castleton in order to sign guard Quincy Olivari to a two-way contract, which would make sense if they feel like Koloko will soon be cleared. The franchise’s need for some center depth is well known and Koloko has some tools to work with, especially defensively.
Koloko was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in his final college season where he averaged 12.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. JJ Redick and the Lakers have talked about player development being a big part of what they want to do and should he be cleared, Koloko is someone who could pay dividends if he reaches his potential.
Rob Pelinka: Lakers ‘excited’ about what Christian Koloko can bring
The Lakers undoubtedly believe Christian Koloko is someone who can have an impact, perhaps as soon as this season if he is ultimately cleared. Rob Pelinka recently discussed this, noting that the Lakers saw a lot of promise in him during his draft process.
“We did a deep dive with our medical staff, again Dr. Vigil, Dr. Jones, Dr. Sims, and have a lot of optimism and hope he’s still with the panel. And part of that is just logistics that have to happen, but we think that’ll happen sooner than later and whatever the decision of the league is, we’ll respect.
“But again, we have a lot of optimism and if he’s cleared, 7-foot-5 wingspan, 7-foot-1 [height], I think we saw a lot of promise in him when we scouted him when he was at Arizona, was almost a first round pick. So, to get a player like that that we can bring along and develop and may even impact games this year when he gets cleared is something we’re really excited about.”
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