With Jaxson Hayes having to sit out the last six games due to an ankle injury and Christian Wood still not having recovered from offseason knee surgery, the Los Angeles Lakers had few options to turn to at backup center behind Anthony Davis. The lone true big was Christian Koloko, who was only recently cleared by the NBA to return to the court.
The Lakers signed Koloko to a two-way contract this summer and he was supposed to be more of a developmental project after more than a year away from basketball due to health concerns. But with no other options, head coach JJ Redick turned to Koloko and the results were solid.