The New Orleans Pelicans are widening their options for that final roster spot by bringing in some competition for training camp. They had already signed guard Kobe Bufkin, and have now added a big.
NBA insider Michael Scotto broke the news on Tuesday night that the Pelicans would be signing Koloko. Shamit Dua of In The No clarified that it was a non-guaranteed deal, similar to Bufkin.
Koloko was second-round pick back in 2022 by the Toronto Raptors with hopes of developing an elite athlete with sky-high defensive potential. He has not been able to stick around on an NBA roster for long through three seasons, but he's still just 26 and teams will continue to kick the tires on him as an option.
On paper, he would address a need in the front court. Rim protection and rebounding were lacking last year. Derik Queen and Yves Missi will continue to develop and get stronger, but they need an enforcer. Koloko was a big, strong, athletic center with a massive wingspan.
Through three seasons in the NBA, Koloko has averaged 2.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.8 blocks over 12.3 minutes per night. He simply hasn't been able to be given minutes because of how far away he is on the offensive side of the ball. The Atlanta Hawks were 9.3 points worse per 100 possessions on offense with him on the court, per Cleaning the Glass . Conversely, the Memphis Grizzlies were 9.2 points better on defense the season before.
Perhaps this coaching staff won't care about his offense, as they are more focused on figuring out the defensive side of things there. In that view, Koloko would make sense as someone they would go after for the final roster spot. He would fill a similar role to what Kevon Looney did last season.
