Christian Koloko Drains 1st Professional 3-Pointer But Still Has a 'Fair Bit of Work to Do' Offensively, Raptors Say
Just 66 minutes into Christian Koloko's professional NBA career, the Toronto Raptors center accomplished a feat he'd never managed to do in his entire collegiate tenure.
With Chicago Bulls center Makur Maker sagging off of him midway through the third quarter Tuesday evening, Koloko caught a pass from Armoni Brooks, straightened up toward the hoop, and drained his first recorded three-pointer in at least three years. The shot — a 26-foot jumper — sailed like a dart through the net as if attempted by a veteran marksman.
Chalk it up as a victory for Raptors coach Nick Nurse who guaranteed Koloko would make at least one three-pointer during his Raptors career.
Mechanically, there's still plenty of room for improvement in Koloko's shot, Nurse said back on draft night, but there's a lot to be excited about. The 7-foot center shot 73.5% from the free-throw line as a junior at Arizona and, to Nurse, that suggests there's untapped shooting potential yet to be refined.
Inside the paint, though, Koloko's offense needs a lot of development. He's not a traditional post-up center, as Nurse acknowledged, but Koloko's touch around the rim has been almost non-existent through two Summer League games. Aside from an alley-oop and a put-back dunk, Koloko hasn't been able to use his size to make much of an impact in the paint so far.
"He's very very raw offensively," Raptors Summer League coach Trevor Gleeson told reporters in Las Vegas. "We've just got to keep putting layers with him."
That will come with time for the 22-year-old who should spend most of his season getting up reps with the Raptors 905, fine-tuning his defensive skills while improving his offense across the board. He doesn't have to become a pick-and-pop marksman or post-up maestro, but improved touch around the rim would go a long way to making Koloko a true two-way rotation contributor for the Raptors down the road.
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