What should Lakers fans expect from Christian Koloko? https://t.co/lbyUJXq0aT via @LakersSBN
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) September 19, 2024
Christian Koloko is a fun “project big” that can provide rim protection, solid screens, and an active vertical threat. Koloko’s combination of size, length, agility, athleticism, and, perhaps, untapped potential offensively and defensively will ensure that he will show a flash of his potential here and there whenever he sees the floor.
As mentioned earlier, he’s a “project” at this point, but if the Lakers are in a pinch, Koloko should be able to give them 5-10 solid minutes of paint protection.
What are his strengths and weaknesses at this stage of his career?
At this point of his career, Koloko’s NBA-ready skill set is his rim protection. You can’t teach height, but he’s got great coordination to alter, if not block, shots around the rim.
Aside from that, the main reason a team would be — and should be — interested in Koloko is his potential. Pre-illness, he looked like he could develop into a decent modern-day big. That said, he’s not a non-shooter at this point in his career, but on a Lakers roster with lofty expectations, we might as well treat him as one this season.
Koloko had already turned 22 years old when the Raptors drafted him, and despite being one of the older rookies, his game looked very raw during his stint with the Raptors.
It’s unfair to ask him to be “raw but effective” like how Derek Lively II did in his rookie year, as aside from his “Swat-ability,” he doesn’t present the same “will player” type as Lively II.
I’m not sure if it’s about the processing speed, effort, or lack of fundamentals, but he’s often beaten in 50/50 plays; that’s why his rebounding rate, especially OREB, is subpar.
Offensively, Koloko’s no more than a vertical threat, and based on what I mentioned above, I’m not counting on him to pick up a lot of garbage points for my team.
He wasn’t good at finishing around the basket if it didn’t end up with a dunk, and his passing leaves a lot to be desired. However, he would occasionally show flashes of good offensive moves and passing, but not often enough for them to happen and be considered as a threat.
Were you surprised he was cut? I know he had the health issue, but Masai Ujiri also had a lot of praise for him when he was cut. Did Raptors fans want to keep him around?
The Raptors fanbase tends to overvalue our players way more than their actual value should be, so the overall sentiment was disappointment when he was released.
The Raptors FO’s inability to find a decent big cost them the “compete window” of their “Run it back core,” so it’s safe to say that they saw Koloko as part of this team’s future, and to Koloko’s credit, he’s shown flashes that got the fanbase optimistic.
So yeah, just like everybody else, it’s a surprise to see him get cut, but once the news of his blood clot came out, it felt reasonable at the time.