The Los Angeles Lakers have been pretty good at utilizing their two-way contracts and developing players into contributors at the NBA level. Last year, one of their more intriguing pickups was center Christian Koloko, who was returning to the NBA after dealing with a blood clot issue that forced him out of the league for a year.
Prior to that, Koloko was a promising big man with a ton of potential. A second-round pick of the Toronto Raptors in 2022, Koloko was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in his final season at the University of Arizona so there was some buzz around him.
While it took Koloko some time to find his rhythm and conditioning after a year away, he had some moments for the Lakers when pushed into some bigger minutes and certainly looks to be a player who can grow into a solid piece. And now returning to the Lakers on another two-way contract, Koloko hopes to continue to build off what he started last season.
“I think just the trust they gave me,” Koloko said when asked why he chose to return to the Lakers. “I talked with JJ, I talked with Rob and they kind of got me back last year and I think it’s just a continuation of what we started last year. I think I’m still trying to get back to myself and I started here so I just want to continue and I want to be a part of this team and I want to win too.”
Koloko has the length and athleticism to be a good rim-protector on defense and has shown the ability to crash the glass as well. He has even shown decent vision and passing ability on offense at times which is not something he was ever known for.
It is an extremely difficult situation for Koloko to try and get back to the point he was before the health issue, but there is no denying the potential is there. He was already a raw prospect coming into the draft so losing a full season is a huge hit in his development process, but he has the raw tools to be a rotation piece and the Lakers will continue helping him grow as a player and hopefully fulfill his potential.
Gabe Vincent likes JJ Redick being hard on Lakers in training camp
This is Christian Koloko’s first full training camp with the Lakers as he was unable to participate last year while still waiting to be cleared by the NBA. And JJ Redick is not taking it easy on his team, which is something veteran guard Gabe Vincent likes.
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