Season Review: Christian Koloko

In his return to the league this season, Christian Koloko landed on the Lakers and showed some promise of what he still could be in the NBA.

Welcome to our annual Lakers season in review series, where we’ll look back at each player on the team’s roster this season and evaluate if they should be part of the future of the franchise. Today, we continue with a look at Christian Koloko.

For Christian Koloko, returning to an NBA court was far from a guarantee entering the 2024-25 NBA season. While the Lakers signed him to a two-way deal entering the year, the NBA had yet to clear him after a blood clot sidelined him for the 2023-24 season.

Eventually, the NBA cleared him for on-court activities in late October and Koloko showed that he was another big with potential for the Lakers to develop, even if it meant he wasn’t always an immediate impact player.

How did he play?

Expectations for Koloko were muted for this season. His talent is raw and undercooked and sitting for a year didn’t exactly make him a prime candidate for an explosive season.

The Lakers were allowed to use Koloko for a maximum of 50 games on his two-way contract and they squeezed most of the juice out of the orange that was his game total, having him active for every game possible with the 50th game coming in the team’s regular season finale.

While he was active 50 times, Koloko played in just 37 of those games and averaged a modest 2.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.4 assists per contest.

With Koloko playing double-digit minutes in only 18 games, the opportunity to make an impact for the Lakers was few and far between.

Still, he had some games in which he showcased his talent. In a January win over the Blazers, Koloko was the best version of himself. He ended the night scoring eight points, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out three assists.

It wasn’t just the fact that Koloko filled up the box score, but how he did it that showed his promise. He was smart in his shot selection, aggressive in the paint and rolled hard to the rim. On his four made field goals, three of them were dunks.

However, there’s a reason this game is an exception and not the standard for Koloko.

Koloko often hurts himself in the details. He can sometimes make lazy handoffs, have weak screens and be slow-footed on pick and roll defense.

In this matchup, his activity was up, and his focus on the minutia of the game was at an all-time high. If he can replicate some of these habits overall, he can maximize his potential.

While Koloko’s time in the Lakers rotation was limited, his numbers looked good whenever he played with South Bay in the G League. In the 10 games, he averaged 14.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks.

Koloko was dominant against this level of talent, and that’s exactly what you want to see from a player who could one day earn a permanent role on an NBA team.

This year, however, Koloko didn’t demonstrate enough for the franchise to award him more playing time or a permanent roster spot. This is why he remained on a two-way deal all year and was stuck observing the Lakers’ playoff run instead of participating.

What is his contract situation moving forward?

When the Lakers signed Koloko, it was for just one season. Therefore, Koloko will be a restricted free agent this summer.

Should he be back?

The promise is there with Koloko. He is only 24 years old and has just two seasons of NBA experience, so there is a lot of upside in his game.

While Koloko has potential, he is currently a young player who still needs time to develop. On another two-way deal, Koloko makes sense, and if he can earn a final roster spot on the Lakers, that could be worthwhile.

However, he is not currently the answer to the team’s center woes.

The Lakers must address who their starting and likely backup big is before considering a deal for Koloko. So, if he comes back, it will be, at best, a slightly increased role. Koloko’s return is not a priority for a franchise that is looking to win right now.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.