Christian Koloko

6 نوفمبر 2024

Will be in rotation Wednesday

Lakers head coach JJ Redick said Koloko (illness) will be available for Wednesday's game against the Grizzlies and will be part of the rotation at center, Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com reports.

Analysis

Assuming Redick sticks to his word, Koloko will be seeing his first NBA action since April 9, 2023, when he made the 58th and final appearance of his rookie season with Toronto. The 24-year-old missed the entire 2023-24 season while recovering from blood clots, and after getting clearance from the NBA's Fitness-to-Play Panel, Koloko is finally ready to resume his career. Koloko's return coincides with Anthony Davis (ankle) being ruled out for Wednesday's contest, though the Lakers are unlikely to ask Koloko to play significant minutes, as Jaxson Hayes is the likelier candidate to start and take on the brunt of the playing time at center. Koloko flashed shot-blocking prowess as a rookie, and now that he's healthy again, he'll have the opportunity to stake a claim to a more permanent spot in the rotation.