Koloko

[97cats]

top 20 lock or comes back - if he gets a guarantee he is gone.

will he get that guarantee? dont know.

there are some whispers that he has a couple crushes.

[Beachcat97]

top 20 lock or comes back - if he gets a guarantee he is gone.

will he get that guarantee? dont know.

there are some whispers that he has a couple crushes.

None bigger than mine. One more year, CK!

[U.P. Zona Fan]

That he has a couple of crushes on girls on campus?

Ooh la la.

[Beachcat97]

That he has a couple of crushes on girls on campus?

Ooh la la.

I wish. Pretty sure 97's talking about NBA teams who like him, but who knows.

[Beachcat97]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/nb ... li=BBnb7Kz

Projected as the final pick of the 1st round.

[MountainCat]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/nb ... li=BBnb7Kz

Projected as the final pick of the 1st round.

I'm looking at this for the first time...

...You mean DUKE had 5 of the Top 25 (#2, #10, #13, #20, and #25) Draftable players in college this year and did not win the championship???

Fire that coach!!!

[Beachcat97]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/nb ... li=BBnb7Kz

Projected as the final pick of the 1st round.

I'm looking at this for the first time...

...You mean DUKE had 5 of the Top 25 (#2, #10, #13, #20, and #25) Draftable players in college this year and did not win the championship???

Fire that coach!!!

Duke and Kentucky have held that distinction multiple times over the past 10-15 seasons. Loading your roster with 5-stars rarely produces a championship.

[Chicat]

Koloko has declared for the draft.

Good luck young man. Hopefully whatever you heard from teams about being taken in the first round comes true.

[84Cat]

Koloko has declared for the draft.

Good luck young man. Hopefully whatever you heard from teams about being taken in the first round comes true.

[Chicat]

“March Madness breakout player” is a clear indication Shams doesn’t watch the PAC-12. My man C-Lo was PAC-12 1st Team, DPOY, and Most Improved. He didn’t just come out of nowhere during March Madness.

[Merkin]

He can still return, even if hiring an NBA approved agent can't he? No harm in that if he gets exposed.

[Spaceman Spiff]

He can still return, even if hiring an NBA approved agent can't he? No harm in that if he gets exposed.

Exposed? Short of getting hit with a shrink ray, he's not getting exposed in any way I can imagine. Every NBA team should see his potential as well as the areas needing improvement. He's a high upside project.

Good for Koloko. It's been great watching his game explode from a freshman I thought should redshirt to a guy who could play 12 years in the NBA if he continues to develop.

Like I've posted, I thought declaring was the right call for him and I hope his future is as bright as I think it is.

[YoDeFoe]

“March Madness breakout player” is a clear indication Shams doesn’t watch the PAC-12. My man C-Lo was PAC-12 1st Team, DPOY, and Most Improved. He didn’t just come out of nowhere during March Madness.

4 blocks against Wichita St, 4 blocks against Michigan, 4 blocks against Illinois lol - dude was doing it all season long

[Spaceman Spiff]

“March Madness breakout player” is a clear indication Shams doesn’t watch the PAC-12. My man C-Lo was PAC-12 1st Team, DPOY, and Most Improved. He didn’t just come out of nowhere during March Madness.

4 blocks against Wichita St, 4 blocks against Michigan, 4 blocks against Illinois lol - dude was doing it all season long

It's just when the media noticed it. His coming out party for NBA scouts was well before that.

I'd peg it at Illinois. Cockburn was the type of guy you think would be the toughest matchup for Koloko, a big, powerful guy to exploit Koloko being slender and lacking lower body power. Instead, Koloko held him to .333 EFG%.

That's where it went from wondering if he wasn't just exploiting favorable matchups to seeing he could handle anyone, any time.

[97cats]

He can still return, even if hiring an NBA approved agent can't he? No harm in that if he gets exposed.

Ray aint comin home...

[UAEebs86]

[Spaceman Spiff]

1 rep point to Kerr for the weakside D reference.

[Jefe]

You can return to the NCAA after hiring an Agent, but the NCAA has to approve the Agent: https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2019/1/24/a ... ation.aspx

Christian hired Aaron Gordon's Agent so not sure if he's approved. Hoping the Suns scoop him up! Really happy for him but would have loved 1 more season. No question Ill be following his career.

[PHXCATS]

Absolutely the right call to declare

Seems from what 97 is saying that CK has the proper mindset about this.

All you want is for these kids to make the best and smart decision

[EastCoastCat]

Good for CK. He deserves it and will be well missed.

I'm hoping that's it (just CK and Benn) but you never know.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Absolutely the right call to declare

Seems from what 97 is saying that CK has the proper mindset about this.

All you want is for these kids to make the best and smart decision

There are three legit reasons and you always hope a player is realistic about which applies to him.

1. My stock is high and I'm ready to take the next step.
2. I want to test the waters and see what my stock is.
3. I'm tired of school.

Koloko is clearly in class 1 for me and that's where the decision is easiest.

[PHXCATS]

Absolutely the right call to declare

Seems from what 97 is saying that CK has the proper mindset about this.

All you want is for these kids to make the best and smart decision

There are three legit reasons and you always hope a player is realistic about which applies to him.

1. My stock is high and I'm ready to take the next step.
2. I want to test the waters and see what my stock is.
3. I'm tired of school.

Koloko is clearly in class 1 for me and that's where the decision is easiest.

Agree

But it shows how smart he is if he is willing to take what the scouts tell him and have returning to school as an option depending on the feedback

[RondaeShimmy]

Absolutely the right call to declare

Seems from what 97 is saying that CK has the proper mindset about this.

All you want is for these kids to make the best and smart decision

There are three legit reasons and you always hope a player is realistic about which applies to him.

1. My stock is high and I'm ready to take the next step.
2. I want to test the waters and see what my stock is.
3. I'm tired of school.

Koloko is clearly in class 1 for me and that's where the decision is easiest.

Agree

But it shows how smart he is if he is willing to take what the scouts tell him and have returning to school as an option depending on the feedback

It's obvious he's not coming back

[PHXCATS]

Absolutely the right call to declare

Seems from what 97 is saying that CK has the proper mindset about this.

All you want is for these kids to make the best and smart decision

There are three legit reasons and you always hope a player is realistic about which applies to him.

1. My stock is high and I'm ready to take the next step.
2. I want to test the waters and see what my stock is.
3. I'm tired of school.

Koloko is clearly in class 1 for me and that's where the decision is easiest.

Agree

But it shows how smart he is if he is willing to take what the scouts tell him and have returning to school as an option depending on the feedback

It's obvious he's not coming back

Read what I actually wrote and try again

[Spaceman Spiff]

Absolutely the right call to declare

Seems from what 97 is saying that CK has the proper mindset about this.

All you want is for these kids to make the best and smart decision

There are three legit reasons and you always hope a player is realistic about which applies to him.

1. My stock is high and I'm ready to take the next step.
2. I want to test the waters and see what my stock is.
3. I'm tired of school.

Koloko is clearly in class 1 for me and that's where the decision is easiest.

Agree

But it shows how smart he is if he is willing to take what the scouts tell him and have returning to school as an option depending on the feedback

I feel like I could tell Koloko his feedback. He's a 7 foot high level rim protector who will go late 1st or at worst, early 2nd. To build a 10+ year NBA career, he needs to add low body strength, develop his footwork and continue to refine his offensive game.

That's it. In many ways, Koloko is a very easy feedback loop, IMO.

[Jefe]

[DrWildcat]

While it didn't end the way we all wanted, there was just something about this team that makes me really want them to do well at the next level. Even more so that previous players. Koloko's was a joy to watch this year!

[Chicat]

While it didn't end the way we all wanted, there was just something about this team that makes me really want them to do well at the next level. Even more so that previous players. Koloko's was a joy to watch this year!

I hear you. I’ll be rooting really hard for both Mathurin and Koloko. Not only are they stellar representatives of Arizona on the court and off, but they committed to us under the cloud of the NCAA investigation AND stuck with us through Miller being fired.

I hope they both blow up and kill it in the NBA.

[Merkin]

Yep, always Wildcats, no hard feelings at all. Nothing but the best for them, they represented Arizona very well.

[Spaceman Spiff]

While it didn't end the way we all wanted, there was just something about this team that makes me really want them to do well at the next level. Even more so that previous players. Koloko's was a joy to watch this year!

I hear you. I’ll be rooting really hard for both Mathurin and Koloko. Not only are they stellar representatives of Arizona on the court and off, but they committed to us under the cloud of the NCAA investigation AND stuck with us through Miller being fired.

I hope they both blow up and kill it in the NBA.

At the U of A, unless you're a professor or administrator, there's always a next step.

Kudos to Benn and Koloko for killing it at Arizona and setting themselves up for that next step. They're examples of what you want to see happen for players.

[EastCoastCat]

We are Arizona.

We just reload...

Best to Benn and CK as they truly represented Arizona the way we are accustomed to our favorites who do it the right way while they are here.

[U.P. Zona Fan]

Really rooting for CK to do awesome in the pros.
This year's team will always be super special for me.

But let me tell you how excited I'll be for next year if he is back with stuff to prove.

Bear down CK and go make your dreams come true!!!!!

[Spaceman Spiff]

So, I saw someone repost the latest ESPN mock (allegedly, I lack a subscription to check) that had Koloko at 36. As before, that's solidly in the range a team will almost surely give him 2-3 guaranteed years.

And again, thinking of how far he's come since those first games where he was a raw freshman who looked like Bambi on ice, I couldn't be more impressed with his growth and development. If team gets him at 36, I think they get a steal.

[EastCoastCat]

He'd be perfect for the Lakers.

[prh]

So, I saw someone repost the latest ESPN mock (allegedly, I lack a subscription to check) that had Koloko at 36. As before, that's solidly in the range a team will almost surely give him 2-3 guaranteed years.

And again, thinking of how far he's come since those first games where he was a raw freshman who looked like Bambi on ice, I couldn't be more impressed with his growth and development. If team gets him at 36, I think they get a steal.

To spare everyone, the update yesterday has Benn at 11 to the Knicks, Koloko at 36 to the Blazers, and Terry at 44 to the Hawks

[97cats]

pretty much confirmed Koloko will not go in the first round and it may be a late promise but i just dont get it.

[gronk4heisman]

I may be an Arizona homer, but I see now way based on Koloko's trajectory that he would not boost his stock to the first round next year with a guaranteed contract if he came back for another year. Obviously injuries happen, but the guy has been a huge improvement every year since he took up basketball fulltime 5 or 6 years ago.

[Spaceman Spiff]

pretty much confirmed Koloko will not go in the first round and it may be a late promise but i just dont get it.

https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2021/08/202 ... nings.html

I've posted this before but not sure where. Pretty much every early 2nd got 2 years guaranteed, with the only variation being how much $ per. The bare minumum is a hair over 2.4 million over those two years, so...it's pretty close to late first if you go over the minimum, because late first is a range centering a bit under 2 million with the same guaranteed years.

In theory he could earn just as much as a late 1st. In reality, he's likely to get the same base terms and maybe 400-500k less over the life of the contract.

[ChooChooCat]

So, I saw someone repost the latest ESPN mock (allegedly, I lack a subscription to check) that had Koloko at 36. As before, that's solidly in the range a team will almost surely give him 2-3 guaranteed years.

And again, thinking of how far he's come since those first games where he was a raw freshman who looked like Bambi on ice, I couldn't be more impressed with his growth and development. If team gets him at 36, I think they get a steal.

To spare everyone, the update yesterday has Benn at 11 to the Knicks, Koloko at 36 to the Blazers, and Terry at 44 to the Hawks

Saw a mock from Kevin O'Connor that had Koloko going #27. Hopefully he's got a promise.

[YoDeFoe]

So, I saw someone repost the latest ESPN mock (allegedly, I lack a subscription to check) that had Koloko at 36. As before, that's solidly in the range a team will almost surely give him 2-3 guaranteed years.

And again, thinking of how far he's come since those first games where he was a raw freshman who looked like Bambi on ice, I couldn't be more impressed with his growth and development. If team gets him at 36, I think they get a steal.

To spare everyone, the update yesterday has Benn at 11 to the Knicks, Koloko at 36 to the Blazers, and Terry at 44 to the Hawks

Saw a mock from Kevin O'Connor that had Koloko going #27. Hopefully he's got a promise.

That's about where Sam Vecinie has him - that's two of the best in the business pegging him as a late first.

[Spaceman Spiff]

So, I saw someone repost the latest ESPN mock (allegedly, I lack a subscription to check) that had Koloko at 36. As before, that's solidly in the range a team will almost surely give him 2-3 guaranteed years.

And again, thinking of how far he's come since those first games where he was a raw freshman who looked like Bambi on ice, I couldn't be more impressed with his growth and development. If team gets him at 36, I think they get a steal.

To spare everyone, the update yesterday has Benn at 11 to the Knicks, Koloko at 36 to the Blazers, and Terry at 44 to the Hawks

Saw a mock from Kevin O'Connor that had Koloko going #27. Hopefully he's got a promise.

That's about where Sam Vecinie has him - that's two of the best in the business pegging him as a late first.

In the 20-40 range, a lot is about team preference. If you have a team in that range wanting a rim protecting C, Koloko's basically their guy.

[UAEebs86]

No Koloko in the first round of this mock draft:


https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2022 ... -no-3-pick

[YoDeFoe]

Koloko 26th in the new Big Board from Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer
https://nbadraft.theringer.com/

CHRISTIAN KOLOKO
CENTER Arizona

SHADES OF
Clint Capela, Ed Davis


HEIGHT 7'1"
WEIGHT 230
AGE 22.0
YEAR Junior

Cameroonian big man who emerged this year as one of the NCAA’s best rim protectors and finishers, though he must get stronger to excel in the NBA.

Shot Blocking
Athleticism
On-Ball Defense
Interior Scoring

PLUSES
Excellent interior finisher who slams home lobs when cutting from the baseline or rolling to the paint. He’s also adept at sealing off his defender deep in the paint, making himself a target, and then fluidly finishing or turning into a jump hook.

Improved as a free throw shooter his junior season, hitting a career-high 72.2 percent. He even looked smooth on the limited number of midrange jumpers he took. He’ll certainly work on his ability to hit spot-up 3s leading up to the draft. If it’s working for him, his draft stock will rise because we’ll see shades of Bucks Brook Lopez.

Much better passer than his numbers indicate. On the post, he has a feel for drawing in the defense to create an opening for a teammate. Granted, he won’t be asked to frequently post up in the NBA, but it does show his ability to read the floor. He’s also fully capable of operating on the perimeter in dribble handoffs.

Nasty shot blocker in help situations. He has good floor sense and can rapidly change directions to block or alter shots. He’s also solid when defending pick-and-rolls as a drop defender.

Very mobile for his size. He flourished when switching onto guards and wings at Arizona. He gets a bit too handsy at times when he should back off, but once he gets in a film room and in the practice court with NBA coaches, hours of studying Rudy Gobert should help.

Added 15 pounds since his freshman season and has since become a far more effective post defender. Getting even stronger, especially in the lower body, should be prioritized as long as it doesn’t come at the cost of his quickness.

MINUSES
He’s come a long way, but he’s still raw. Koloko started to take basketball seriously at age 15 but primarily played soccer until he was 17. He’s made a lot of progress, but he remains unrefined in some areas.

Struggled throughout his first two seasons at Arizona and battled inconsistency before his junior season. Maybe things just clicked for Koloko as he grew into his body and matured.

Fundamentals still need more development. He makes off-target passes to cutting players and he forces some post entries to Azuolas Tubelis, a 6-foot-11 big who starts next to him. He also sets too many moving screens. But these flaws are easily fixable and his progress is an indicator that he will figure them out.

Made only 55 percent of his free throws as a freshman and sophomore. He’ll need to prove he can maintain his improved percentages (up to 72.2 percent this year) to cement his stock.

[Beachcat97]

That's also the highest I've seen DT projected.

[YoDeFoe]

That's also the highest I've seen DT projected.

It's actually lower than Sam Vecenie of the Athletic's personal big board - he has Terry at 28th (!!). He said it wasn't based on league feedback but rather that he felt DT was a guy who teams may view as a 2023 lottery pick, so a team that felt that way could grab him with a low first / high second (quite the discount) and retain their lottery pick for a very stocked 2023 draft.

That brings me back to: okay, congrats on getting drafted Terry, but in order to stick in the league you need to develop and where will you develop better? Arizona or the G-League? My vote is Arizona for reasons I've laid out previously, with the added benefit of a lottery salary next draft, and I think that's what Terry is feeling as well.

[Spaceman Spiff]

That's also the highest I've seen DT projected.

It's actually lower than Sam Vecenie of the Athletic's personal big board - he has Terry at 28th (!!). He said it wasn't based on league feedback but rather that he felt DT was a guy who teams may view as a 2023 lottery pick, so a team that felt that way could grab him with a low first / high second (quite the discount) and retain their lottery pick for a very stocked 2023 draft.

That brings me back to: okay, congrats on getting drafted Terry, but in order to stick in the league you need to develop and where will you develop better? Arizona or the G-League? My vote is Arizona for reasons I've laid out previously, with the added benefit of a lottery salary next draft, and I think that's what Terry is feeling as well.

I'll try not to beat a dead horse and say two things. First, G League is better than most people give it credit for, IMO. Kuminga and Green were two of the best rookies this year and GS used the G League to develop Kuminga from very raw to a rotation contributor on a potential championship team at 19.

Second, ok, this is beating a dead horse, but everything is potential in the NBA and late firsts stick maybe 50% of the time. I have a bet riding on thinking lottery isn't in the cards for Terry, but rotation contributor is. Not at all unreasonable to try to buy low on that potential.

[ChooChooCat]

That's also the highest I've seen DT projected.

It's actually lower than Sam Vecenie of the Athletic's personal big board - he has Terry at 28th (!!). He said it wasn't based on league feedback but rather that he felt DT was a guy who teams may view as a 2023 lottery pick, so a team that felt that way could grab him with a low first / high second (quite the discount) and retain their lottery pick for a very stocked 2023 draft.

That brings me back to: okay, congrats on getting drafted Terry, but in order to stick in the league you need to develop and where will you develop better? Arizona or the G-League? My vote is Arizona for reasons I've laid out previously, with the added benefit of a lottery salary next draft, and I think that's what Terry is feeling as well.

I'll try not to beat a dead horse and say two things. First, G League is better than most people give it credit for, IMO. Kuminga and Green were two of the best rookies this year and GS used the G League to develop Kuminga from very raw to a rotation contributor on a potential championship team at 19.

Second, ok, this is beating a dead horse, but everything is potential in the NBA and late firsts stick maybe 50% of the time. I have a bet riding on thinking lottery isn't in the cards for Terry, but rotation contributor is. Not at all unreasonable to try to buy low on that potential.

I love it. The G League is great because two guys are a success story. Truth is the G League is good depending on what team is sending you there. Not every G League program is created equal due to their parent team’s commitment to it of course.

[Spaceman Spiff]

That's also the highest I've seen DT projected.

It's actually lower than Sam Vecenie of the Athletic's personal big board - he has Terry at 28th (!!). He said it wasn't based on league feedback but rather that he felt DT was a guy who teams may view as a 2023 lottery pick, so a team that felt that way could grab him with a low first / high second (quite the discount) and retain their lottery pick for a very stocked 2023 draft.

That brings me back to: okay, congrats on getting drafted Terry, but in order to stick in the league you need to develop and where will you develop better? Arizona or the G-League? My vote is Arizona for reasons I've laid out previously, with the added benefit of a lottery salary next draft, and I think that's what Terry is feeling as well.

I'll try not to beat a dead horse and say two things. First, G League is better than most people give it credit for, IMO. Kuminga and Green were two of the best rookies this year and GS used the G League to develop Kuminga from very raw to a rotation contributor on a potential championship team at 19.

Second, ok, this is beating a dead horse, but everything is potential in the NBA and late firsts stick maybe 50% of the time. I have a bet riding on thinking lottery isn't in the cards for Terry, but rotation contributor is. Not at all unreasonable to try to buy low on that potential.

I love it. The G League is great because two guys are a success story. Truth is the G League is good depending on what team is sending you there. Not every G League program is created equal due to their parent team’s commitment to it of course.

Well, if you want to look beyond specific examples, the G league had 117 players called up.to the NBA this year, about 4 per team. In terms of talent and access to the NBA, most colleges would love to have 4 NBA caliber players every year.

As such, the G League offers a chance to play multiple NBA level guys every night, learn from NBA and Euro vets and as you say, teams recognizing developmental capacity in their own farm system.

I'm not by any means saying Arizona is bad, but more that it's what I've said a bunch, both college and G League offer developmental opportunity...it generally comes down to the player more than the path they choose.

[ChooChooCat]

That's also the highest I've seen DT projected.

It's actually lower than Sam Vecenie of the Athletic's personal big board - he has Terry at 28th (!!). He said it wasn't based on league feedback but rather that he felt DT was a guy who teams may view as a 2023 lottery pick, so a team that felt that way could grab him with a low first / high second (quite the discount) and retain their lottery pick for a very stocked 2023 draft.

That brings me back to: okay, congrats on getting drafted Terry, but in order to stick in the league you need to develop and where will you develop better? Arizona or the G-League? My vote is Arizona for reasons I've laid out previously, with the added benefit of a lottery salary next draft, and I think that's what Terry is feeling as well.

I'll try not to beat a dead horse and say two things. First, G League is better than most people give it credit for, IMO. Kuminga and Green were two of the best rookies this year and GS used the G League to develop Kuminga from very raw to a rotation contributor on a potential championship team at 19.

Second, ok, this is beating a dead horse, but everything is potential in the NBA and late firsts stick maybe 50% of the time. I have a bet riding on thinking lottery isn't in the cards for Terry, but rotation contributor is. Not at all unreasonable to try to buy low on that potential.

I love it. The G League is great because two guys are a success story. Truth is the G League is good depending on what team is sending you there. Not every G League program is created equal due to their parent team’s commitment to it of course.

Well, if you want to look beyond specific examples, the G league had 117 players called up.to the NBA this year, about 4 per team. In terms of talent and access to the NBA, most colleges would love to have 4 NBA caliber players every year.

As such, the G League offers a chance to play multiple NBA level guys every night, learn from NBA and Euro vets and as you say, teams recognizing developmental capacity in their own farm system.

I'm not by any means saying Arizona is bad, but more that it's what I've said a bunch, both college and G League offer developmental opportunity...it generally comes down to the player more than the path they choose.

I've never been a believer of the G League in regards to its "development" abilities, never have and never will. It's a solid tool for guys who just really don't want to go to college, but want to stay state side. So it most definitely holds value and is a necessity, but you'll never sell me on the fact that the G League is just such a better developer of talent than college programs, pending on the college program of course and the role the player is going to have at college. G league is a place holder and a good place to throw players you have under contract, but aren't ready to contribute yet or don't have room for, to at least keep playing basketball. That's really it.

[YoDeFoe]