LA Rotation Piece Still Not Cleared to Play

Los Angeles Lakers center Christian Koloko still has not been cleared to play as the Lakers began preseason play. Lakers first-year head coach J.J. Redick said earlier this week that there was no update on Kololo, via Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

https://twitter.com/jovanbuha/status/1841593932452425754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Koloko only recently signed with the Lakers on Sept. 16, joining the team on a two-way contract.

Koloko has not played since the 2022-23 season because of life-threatening blood clots, which caused him to miss the entire 2023-24 season. Prior to the 2023-24 season, the Raptors announced that Koloko would be out indefinitely because of respiratory issues.

The Raptors waived Koloko that January, and the following day he landed on the NBA’s fitness-to-play panel because of his life-threatening blood clots. The fitness-to-play panel must clear Koloko before he is eligible to play or return to practice, but he was allowed to sign with another team before the 2024-25 season.

During the lone season, he was active, Koloko appeared in 58 games for the Lakers with 19 starts. He averaged 3.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 0.5 assists while shooting 48 percent from the field. The Raptors selected Koloko with the 33rd overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, selecting him out of Arizona.

Koloko starred at Arizona for three seasons, emerging as a great defensive prospect. In his final season of college, Koloko averaged 12.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 2.8 blocks per game. He was named first-team All-Pac-12 and the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.

The Lakers are also awaiting the return of Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood, who did not play in the Lakers’ preseason opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Wood underwent a second arthroscopic knee injury this year in September, and Vanderbilt underwent procedures on both feet this offseason. Neither was available for the Lakers during the final months of the 2023-24 season or postseason.

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