On Saturday, Toronto Raptors fans were met with bad news: star Pascal Siakam suffered another groin injury and would be sidelined for at least two weeks. But on Sunday, rookie Christian Koloko did enough to hopefully calm some nerves.
With guard Fred VanVleet back in the lineup, Koloko, who has been filling in as the fifth starter for a few games, officially assumed Siakam’s spot. Not schematically, but he filled in as most 7-footers doL providing a rim-running shot blocker who can often pack the paint and provide a strong presence.
And that he did.
Koloko played solidly in the Raptors’ 113-104 win over the Chicago Bulls, who have certainly been no pushover in the early slate of games.
In 31 minutes, Koloko finished with 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting, a respectable game for any rookie, much less one playing without the gravitational Siakam. The former Arizona Wildcat finished 3-for-4 from the free throw line, but missed his only 3-point attempt.
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On top of his opportunistic scoring, Koloko finished with an astonishing six blocks, tacking on seven rebounds and dishing out two assists in the process. Two of his boards were offensive.
Perhaps most impressively, Koloko was able to finish the game on-court with the starting unit, no small feat for a rookie just a few games into his NBA career.
Of course, the production was nowhere near Siakam’s, who for all intents and purposes looked like a bonafide MVP through eight games, but Koloko’s performance was hopefully enough to quell some nerves.
For now, Koloko will look to build off his best performance to date, taking on the Bulls again on Monday at 7:45.
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