Arizona Wildcats center Christian Koloko on Monday told Shams Charania of The Athletic that he will declare for the 2022 NBA draft after a strong junior campaign.
Koloko, who was born in Cameroon, was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 12.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.8 blocked shots and 1.4 assists. His 102 blocks tied a Wildcats’ single-season record and were sixth-most in the country.
He was also a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist.
The 7-foot-1 standout saw dramatic improvement across the board this season. He was named the Pac-12 Most Improved Player after averaging 5.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks last season.
Forever thankful Wildcats nation ❤️❤️ 🐻⬇️ pic.twitter.com/usbrkfMw6U
— CjKoloko (@kolokojunior1) April 18, 2022
Koloko projects to be a late first-round pick given his ability on the defensive end of the floor. He finished 15th in the country in defensive rating (88.6) and was 20th in block percentage (10.3) to help the Wildcats to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
He will have the opportunity to improve his draft positioning by participating in private workouts with teams. Koloko also figures to be a strong candidate to earn an invitation to compete in the draft combine or NBA G League Elite Camp next month.
The NBA draft will take place on June 23.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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