Christian Koloko 7’0” 221 lbs
Christian Koloko took a massive leap forward this past year propelling the Wildcats to a number one seed in the NCAA tournament. Koloko spearheaded the defense of the Wildcats and played an instrumental role as a rim running, screen setting, rim rolling big who was the beneficiary of lob passes. Koloko also expanded his range and shot impressively from the free throw line (74%) and in the star drill at the combine. Koloko can immediately step in as an energy big and can have an expanded role as he improves the shot and the flexibility of his hips. Koloko slides his feet well in switching onto guards (prime example being against Mike Miles against TCU late in the ball game) however, Koloko does not recover extraordinarily at the college level when beaten so that minimize his potential to be a switching center because recovery is essential due to the extreme difficulty in staying in front of guards which he may be able to do adequately well for a starting center in the NBA in time. Koloko can make his imprint on a game without demanding the ball and can be a drop coverage big with his height/reach and timing. If the shooting progresses to make him a pop threat along with a solid finisher with good hands, Koloko could be a late first round, early second round steal.
Strengths:
Koloko contests shots at the rim well Rolls effectively and finishes efficiently. Runs the floor excellently. Will be a good rim runner especially if employed as an energy big. Good touch (shot 74% from the free throw line and made _ in the star drill at the combine from NBA 3’s). Switches often enough and is not a terrible negative as a switcher results wise using his size to influence shots at the rim and nimble feet to slide on the perimeter.
Concerns: Koloko may need to add muscle to contend with 5’s and strong drivers. Not a commanding offensive presence on the block He lacks impressive recovery skills to contest when beaten by quicker players but he stays in front better than some. Koloko will need to prove his shooting is real. Tall hips make it hard for him to get low on small guards or push out big bodies.
Christian Koloko could prove to be a steal should he be able to play the drop coverage from the center position as well as switch on the perimeter at above average levels for an NBA center, which he may have the capacity to do with the speed he possesses when getting up and down the floor. He needs to improve lateral movements just enough to take the same leap he took in college this past year to be a good defender outside of the paint due to what I perceive to be less recovery ability than that of Mark Williams, whom I believe to be a better rim protector than Koloko mostly due to his sensational ability to recover and influence shots and towering reach. Koloko is the better offensive player and shooter than Williams and probably is better at switching but I value the ability to prevent paint points highly enough to have Williams higher but this is not an indictment on Koloko, because I think he is the 4th best rim protector in the class with solid upside to score in transition and in the half court as a roll man/ pop man. Koloko projects to be a long time NBA big who could start a few years into his career and may be able to flirt with averaging near a double double despite the era of fewer centers playing large minutes.