Decision on Christian Koloko’s status is expected soon

The Los Angeles Lakers recently made an intriguing addition by signing center Christian Koloko to a two-way contract. Koloko, a 2022 second-round pick, was waived by the Toronto Raptors and placed on the NBA’s fitness-to-play list after the discovery of blood clots that threatened to end his career.

As it stands, Koloko still needs to be cleared by the panel, but the Lakers believe that approval will come eventually and are banking on the defensive-minded seven-footer’s potential. With the regular season just around the corner, it now appears that a decision will be made soon.

According to Dave McMenamin and Shams Charania of ESPN, a decision from the fitness-to-play panel is expected soon and there is optimism among the Lakers that it will be good news:

As the Lakers part ways with Castleton, there is optimism within the franchise surrounding the status of Christian Koloko. Sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN that a decision from the NBA’s fitness-to-play panel is expected very soon.

LA signed the 7-foot-1 Koloko to a two-way deal this offseason, hoping to add a big man behind Anthony Davis to the roster.

Koloko, the No. 33 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Toronto Raptors, missed all of last season due to a blood clot problem and must be cleared by the league’s fitness-to-play panel, made up of an NBA designated physician, a player’s union-appointed physician, and a mutually agreed upon third party physician before participating in basketball activities for LA

As noted, the Lakers released big man Colin Castleton to sign guard Quincy Olivari to a two-way contract, which would make sense if they feel Koloko will be released soon. The franchise’s need for some center depth is well known and Koloko has a number of tools to work with, especially defensively.

Koloko was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in his final college season, where he averaged 12.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks. JJ Redick and the Lakers have talked about player development being a big part of what they want to do and should he be cleared, Koloko is someone who could pay dividends if he reaches his potential.

Rob Pelinka: Lakers ‘excited’ about what Christian Koloko can bring

The Lakers undoubtedly believe Christian Koloko is someone who can make an impact, perhaps as early as this season if he is ultimately acquitted. Rob Pelinka discussed this recently, noting that the Lakers saw a lot of promise in him during his draft process.

“We did a deep dive with our medical staff, again Dr. Vigil, Dr. Jones, Dr. Sims, and have a lot of optimism and hope that he is still on the panel. And some of that is just the logistics that have to happen, but we think sooner or later that will happen and whatever the league’s decision is, we’ll respect it.

“But again, we have a lot of optimism and if he is free, an 8-foot wingspan and 7-foot height, I think we saw a lot of promise in him when we scouted him when he was in Arizona. , was almost a first-round pick. “So to get a player like that that we can take with us and develop and maybe even have an impact on games this year if he’s cleared is something we’re really excited about.”

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