With its only choice in the 2022 NBA Draft, the Toronto Raptors took the University of Arizona’s Christian Coloco youth center in 33rd place overall.
A skilful, impact-blocking rim protector with quick legs that should allow him to switch anywhere on the floor, he seems to be the defensive center that Toronto needs in secondary and tertiary formations.
Here’s a little more about Koloko:
Age: 22 School: Arizona Position: Center Height: Seven feet one Weight: 230 lbs2021-22 Statistics: PPG: 12.6 | RPG: 7.3 | APG: 1.4 | BPG: 2.8 | FG%: 63.5
A defender who can do anything
The first thing that should stand out about Koloko is its size. He is seven feet with seven feet and four wingspans and was among the best wheel protectors in college basketball last season, averaging 2.8 blocks per game on his way to winning the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.
The Raptors’ need to protect the rims of the five is talked about nausea from almost every corner of the team’s fans and Koloko should take care of that.
It has the length, natural time and ability to jump fast, which should allow it to be both a blocking blow to strengths and weaknesses.
Even more exciting than his ability to deflect shots, however, is how fast Koloko is. He boasts the kind of foot speed and lateral speed that make him able to switch easily, which means he has to be a valuable, flexible figure for head coach Nick Nurse to use in defense.
The nurse and his staff like to play the same amount of switching schemes and zones, as well as between Koloko’s fast legs, which should allow him to play pick-and-roll in the cover between men without much trouble and his ability to consolidate defense and play goalkeeper around the edge in the zone, he must be able to fit seamlessly into the defensive side of the ball.
Immediate collaborator
One of the blows against Koloko is that he is already 22 years old, which suggests that there may not be as many development tracks to squeeze out of him. However, he came to basketball later in life, so there may still be time for development.
Nevertheless, Koloko believes that he is someone who can intervene and contribute to the Raptors immediately, because, on the one hand, he fills a clear need for the team in the reserve center, and also because this is not a person who Raptors have no acquaintance with.
Shortly after Toronto made his choice, Nurse talked about choosing Coloco and mentioned the fact that the Raptors have been keeping an eye on the young man for some time, giving him the knowledge and comfort to start calling for his role next season.
The Raptors have been eyeing Coloco since they first spotted him at the 2017 Borderless Basketball Camp.
“I have seen a lot of him. I’ve seen him play a lot, “said the nurse. “It’s always hard to say. I hope so. I think there is probably a positional chance for him to make his way there and find some time. “
There are some interesting coincidences with Siakam
As a great coincidence, Koloko is also from the same hometown as Pascal Siakam: Douala, Cameroon.
Coloco doesn’t have exactly the same background as Siakam, as he was a more preferred high school rookie and eventually headed to a power conference school in Arizona, but there may be some shared story between the two in the way theirs can be develop offensive games.
Currently, Koloko plans to be a threat to a lobe that moves along the edge coming out of pick-and-roll, without much chance of him looking to jump to the three-point line. For three seasons and 91 collegiate games he was 0-for-5 from a distance.
It was a similar story with Siakam, who was 3-for-17 in 68 college games over two seasons in New Mexico, where he was used mostly as a traditional big man rather than the multi-wing All-NBA that he flourished. in since.
This does not mean that Koloko will become a player with the kind of high level of flexibility that Siakam can boast, but given the fact that he shot 73.5% of the free throw line last season, for sure there is more to be gained from his shoot than just five measly attempts from three points in college.
“When the boys are really low free throw shooters, you’re worried you’re going to have to take some time, but I guess we’ll try to push him there, and I bet he’s doing more than zero in his career here,” he said. the nurse when asked about his worries about his stroke.
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