The Los Angeles Lakers are in a tricky situation with their center depth. After losing Christian Wood to a long-term injury prior to the season and losing Jaxson Hayes less than 15 games in, L.A. was down to superstar Anthony Davis and two-way player Christian Koloko as the only two centers on the entire roster.
Koloko hadn’t played in the NBA in over a year after suffering from blood clots after the 2022-23 season. The Lakers picked him up on a two-way deal in the hopes that he would be medically cleared, and he finally received that clearance a couple weeks ago. Now, he is the true backup for Davis in what has been a good stretch for L.A.
On Saturday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, Koloko played 11 minutes and finished with six points, six rebounds, one steal and one block and was a plus-three in his short stint. And he got immediate praise from Davis after the game for the way he’s been able to adjust.
“Yeah, I mean, that’s huge for us,” Davis said of Koloko. “(Jaxson Hayes) is out, (Christian Wood) is out, so for him to come in and adjust that quickly on the defensive end, protecting the rim and and on the offensive end catching his lobs. He’s been great. He’s been great without much practice time. He’s come in, learned the plays, he’s a true professional. And he’s been helping us win some ballgames.”
Davis is one of the league’s best shot blockers, so he would be one of the best people to know what makes Koloko so naturally good at protecting the rim. Davis had a funny response, though, when he was asked about it.
“I haven’t talked to him so I’m not sure if it’s instincts or just because he’s tall. But he has a really good feel for it, so it must be instinctual for him. He’s done a very good job protecting the rim. Seems like he’s got a knack for it. There’s not much I’ve had to say to him through these past couple games.”
That the Lakers can already trust Koloko to take on legitimate minutes is an incredible thing. He is only a few weeks removed from not being medically cleared to play in the NBA due to blood clots. And yet, he looks as though he fits right into what the Lakers are trying to do.
Hayes is set to return sooner rather than later, but when he does, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Koloko continue to get minutes.
Anthony Davis wants to be someone Christian Koloko can lean on
The Lakers turned to Christian Koloko in their recent victory over the Memphis Grizzlies and he was solid in 13 minutes, contributing four points, one rebound and one steal. Of course Koloko is a long-term project, especially after having to sit out more than a year due to health issues, but he has one of the best players to learn from in Davis.
And the Lakers superstar is embracing that role, praising Koloko’s ability while noting that he just wants to be someone the young center can lean on as he develops.
“Obviously he’s long and his ability to catch a couple lobs like he did tonight,” Davis said after the Lakers win. “He can block some shots, got some rebounds, it’s huge. He’s not a guy who’s gonna go out of his role. He’s gonna do his job every night and play hard. Just trying to help him with that. He’s still young and he’s coming to me for advice and questions and stuff like that so just trying to be a guy that he can lean on to continue to get better in this league.”
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