Tag: Christian Koloko

Warriors add Arizona’s Christian Koloko in The Ringer’s final NBA mock draft

In the final mock draft from The Ringer, the Golden State Warriors added a piece to their frontcourt at No. 28.

While the Golden State Warriors have been pushing through the postseason to the NBA Finals, mock draft season has been heating up across the basketball community.

With the offseason officially underway after the championship parade, it’s time to turn attention to the mock draft cycle to see what type of player the Warriors could land in the 2022 NBA draft. After making three lottery selections in the past two seasons, the Warriors will return to the latter end of the big board at pick No. 28.

With a roster mixed with All-Star caliber veterans and intriguing prospects, the Warriors could go in a bevy of different directions at No. 28 on Thursday night. The Warriors could trade the pick, or add another young piece of depth to their championship-tailored rotation.

In the final mock draft from The Ringer, Kevin O’Connell penciled in Arizona center Christian Koloko to the Warriors at No. 28.

Via The Ringer:

With James Wiseman’s stock in question after a slow start to his career, the Warriors could look at a big man late in the first round. Koloko is raw for his age, but with shot blocking skill and shooting potential he fits a similar role to the one the team envisioned for Wiseman.

To read O’Connell’s full mock with all the information on Koloko, including his pluses and minutes as a player, click here.

The 7-foot-1 center spent three seasons at Arizona, averaging 12.6 points on 63.5% shooting from the floor with 7.3 boards and 2.8 blocks in 25.4 minutes per game. Koloko registered a career-high against TCU in the 2022 NCAA tournament with 28 points on 12-of-13 shooting from the floor with 12 boards, three blocks and two assists in 40 minutes.

During his final season with the Wildcats, Koloko registered 10 double-double performances. Koloko also had 14 games with four or more blocks.

This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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Former Arizona center Christian Koloko in Oklahoma City for presumed pre-draft visit with Thunder

Christian Koloko took to IG to announce his arrival in OKC.

It appears former Arizona center Christian Koloko is in Oklahoma City for a pre-draft visit and workout. He took to Instagram to show in his stories he was in the city.

The 21-year-old spent three college seasons at Arizona, where he averaged 12.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists on 63.5% shooting in 37 games during his final season.

Koloko is projected to go somewhere late in the first round to early in the second round of the 2022 NBA draft. The Thunder will have a healthy shot to acquire him at No. 34.

The 2022 NBA draft is scheduled for June 23. The Thunder own three picks: No. 2, No. 12 and No. 34.

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3 big men Sixers should take a look at in 2022 NBA draft at No. 23

Here are 3 big men the Philadelphia 76ers should take a look at in the 2022 NBA draft if they don’t trade their pick.

At this current moment, the Philadelphia 76ers hold the No. 23 pick in the 2022 NBA draft after the Brooklyn Nets decided to defer the pick they acquired in the James Harden trade until 2023. The Sixers do have some options they can go to with that selection as there are some roster issues to address.

The Sixers can either make this selection and go with a rookie who can address their issues such as a 3-and-D player, depth on the wings, or a backup big man to Joel Embiid.

The other option is to trade the pick which is what they are looking to do at the moment in search of some immediate help to win a title. If they decide to keep the pick, here are three big men in this draft around the No. 23 range who would fit the Sixers behind Embiid and join Paul Reed and Charles Bassey in the battle for backup minutes.

Now, there is no guarantee the Sixers go big at this selection if they keep it. Coach Doc Rivers is known for liking his veterans and leaning on them more. The biggest examples were the additions of DeAndre Jordan and Paul Millsap during the 2021-22 season.

5 possible sleeper candidates to watch for in 2022 NBA draft

Rookie Wire took a look at five possible sleeper candidates in the upcoming NBA draft.

Last year, Herb Jones shocked the NBA as a second-round pick who entered the league and had an immediate impact. After his selection at 35th overall by New Orleans, Jones went on to average 9.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.7 steals at 29.9 minutes per game.

Jones, who was eventually named to the NBA All-Rookie second team, offered extremely valuable defensive basketball and complimentary offense to a Pelicans squad that overperformed their preseason expectations and made it to the playoffs.

It’s safe to say that, entering the 2022 NBA draft, every team would like to find their own version of Jones: A rookie with the ability to prosper and contribute meaningful minutes immediately if given the chance.

Here are five possible options that could meet that criterion in 2022.

Nuggets to host international prospect Nikola Jovic for draft workout

Jovic will be among the prospects that will work out with the Nuggets on Friday.

Projected first-round pick Nikola Jovic will be among the prospects that will participate in a pre-draft workout with the Denver Nuggets, according to Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports.

Jovic, who was born in Serbia, is averaging 12 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.6 assists with KK Mega Basket in the Adriatic League. He is shooting 41.4% from the field, including 31.5% from 3-point range, in 29 total games this season.

The 6-foot-11 is widely projected to be a mid-to-late first-round pick. He can space the floor and has also shown promise as a ballhandler and rebounder. He has been on the NBA radar for some time and even received votes as the best international player by GMs.

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In addition to Jovic, the Nuggets will also work out San Diego forward Terrell Brown, Alabama guard JD Davison, Arizona center Christian Koloko, Saint Mary’s guard Tommy Kuhse and Houston forward Fabian White Jr. on Friday.

The Nuggets enter the draft with only the 21st overall selection after they traded their second-round pick. They have met with several other prospects projected to be available in their range, including Blake Wesley and Jalen Williams among others.

The NBA draft will take place on June 23.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Arizona junior Christian Koloko declares for 2022 NBA draft

Koloko 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.

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.

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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