Sports

Lakers Just Added a NEW CENTER to Their Rotation! | What Christian Koloko’s RETURN Means for Hayes

Koloko has dealt with a blood clot issue and required medical clearance from the league before playing again

The Lakers will be adding a promising young player to their center rotation soon. Christian Koloko, whom the Lakers signed to a two-way contract this past summer, has been cleared to participate in basketball activities by the NBA’s fitness-to-play panel, per ESPN. Koloko is expected to participate in practice as he ramps up to play in the NBA for the first time since April 2023.

Koloko, who was a second-round draft pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors, had been under a medical advisement to not play due to blood clots that could’ve threatened his ability to still play in the NBA. Koloko was forced to sit out all of last season due to the blood clots, and was then waived by the Raptors and was referred to the league’s fitness-to-play panel. Toronto waived Koloko so the team could make room to facilitate the Pascal Siakam trade with the Pacers, and while teams were interested in picking him up at the time, the league informed the other 29 teams he first has to be medically cleared before playing again.

Koloko remained unsigned during the 2023-24 season, but agreed to a two-way deal with the Lakers this offseason. Prior to the start of the season, Lakers president Rob Pelinka expressed optimisim that Koloko would be cleared to play sooner rather than later.

“We did a deep dive with our medical staff…and have a lot of optimism and hope he’s still with the panel,” Pelinka said. “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.”

Koloko earned Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in college while at Arizona, as well as All-Defense honors in the conference. He ranked sixth in the country in total blocks during the 2021-22 season, and has great size and length that is obviously appealing to a team like the Lakers that is lacking size up front behind Anthony Davis.

The Lakers have been rumored for several weeks to be interested in trading for a center, and have been linked to Jazz center Walker Kessler. But perhaps the addition of Koloko to the rotation means they’ll change their approach. That will obviously depend on how much of an impact Koloko makes, and on a two-way contract he’ll be splitting time between the Lakers and the G League affiliate, but if he’s able to put his fingerprints on the game, he could be a valuable piece off the bench for L.A.

Related Posts

After a period of decline and turmoil, Mike Tyson rebuilt his life by selling fruit and won the sympathy and support of the public.

Mike Tyson: From decline to redemption through resilience and reinvention Once considered the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, Mike Tyson has had a tumultuous journey that has…

Chocante: Pesadelo saudita continua para Cristiano Ronaldo e português é o culpado

Não há um momento de tédio para Cristiano Ronaldo. Apesar de jogar na 72ª pior liga do mundo ( TeamForm ), o português aparentemente acredita que a Saudi…

ชาบีอยู่ระหว่างเจรจากับแมนเชสเตอร์ยูไนเต็ด: เปิดเผยข้อตกลงโดยละเอียด!

ชาบี เอร์นานเดซ กลายเป็นตัวเลือกที่น่าสนใจสำหรับตำแหน่งผู้จัดการทีมแมนเชสเตอร์ ยูไนเต็ด โดยการเจรจาล่าสุดได้ทำให้ข่าวลือดังกล่าวยิ่งร้อนแรงขึ้น แหล่งข่าวเผยว่าในช่วงไม่กี่เดือนที่ผ่านมา มีคนกลางติดต่ออดีตดาวเตะบาร์เซโลน่าถึงสองครั้ง ซึ่งบ่งชี้ว่ายูไนเต็ดสนใจที่จะคว้าตัวชาบี หากพวกเขาเลือกที่จะแยกทางกับเอริก เทน ฮาก ผู้จัดการทีมคนปัจจุบัน คณะผู้แทน 4 คน นำโดยโอมาร์ เบอร์ราดา ประธานเจ้าหน้าที่บริหาร บินไปบาร์เซโลนาเพื่อประชุมระดับสูงเมื่อไม่นานนี้ ทำให้เกิดข่าวลือเกี่ยวกับความเป็นไปได้ที่ชาบีจะเข้าร่วมทีม แม้ว่าบางคนจะเชื่อว่าการประชุมครั้งนี้เกี่ยวข้องกับการมีส่วนร่วมของเซอร์จิม แรตคลิฟฟ์ เจ้าของร่วมในรายการอเมริกาส์ คัพ แต่ช่วงเวลาดังกล่าวกลับทำให้การหารือเกี่ยวกับอนาคตของชาบีกับสโมสรเข้มข้นขึ้น มีรายงานว่าชาบีแสดงความสนใจในโอกาสใหม่ๆ นอกสเปน และหากแมนฯ…

Rory McIlroy gives verdict on Tiger Woods’ ‘disgusting and unacceptable’ meeting with LIV Golf’s Saudi backers in New York

Rory McIlroy has spoken out on Tiger Woods‘ and PGA Tour officials reported meeting with LIV Golf’s Saudi Arabian backers in New York a day before the anniversary of the…

Kawhi Leonard Announces Move to Lakers, Reuniting with LeBron James

Iп a stυппiпg developmeпt that has seпt shockwaves throυgh the NBA, Kawhi Leoпard of the Los Aпgeles Clippers has aппoυпced that he will be joiпiпg the Los Aпgeles…

This clever Tiger Woods tactic will ensure you don’t chunk chips

When you’re hitting a chip shot, one of the most important things to assess is the lie. When the ball is sitting nicely, you can hit a variety…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *