The Los Angeles Lakers will insert their newest center, Christian Koloko, into the rotation against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Head coach JJ Redick made the announcement to the media, including ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

Koloko was medically cleared to play by the NBA's Fitness to Play Panel last week.

He started training with the Lakers and has elevated his game ever since.

The 24-year-old battled a blood clot problem that sidelined him for the entire 2023-24 season, but he has made great progress in recent weeks and will now make his debut in the 2024-25 season.

The Lakers' frontcourt hasn't been strong before, and that won't be the case tonight as they'll be without superstar Anthony Davis. Davis is out for the Grizzlies game because of what Redick calls “left foot pain.”

The Lakers will rely on Koloko and backup center Jaxson Hayes to face Grizzlies rookie center Zach Edey.

Last month, McMenamin explained that the NBA's game fitness panel consists of a league-appointed doctor, a players' union-appointed doctor and a mutually agreed-upon third doctor. The Lakers are optimistic that Koloko will eventually play a big role on the team, which could start as early as Wednesday night.

The Toronto Raptors drafted the former Arizona Wildcat in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft with the No. 33 overall pick.

He appeared in 58 games as a rookie and averaged 3.1 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks while shooting 48 percent from the field in 13.8 minutes per game. While he didn't contribute much, he appeared to be on his way to becoming a solid interior defender who could give the Raptors depth up front.

However, his issue ruled him out for the 2023-24 season and the Raptors ultimately waived him in January 2024. The Raptors waived him to complete the trade that sent All-Star Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers last season.

The Lakers were happy with Koloko and believed he would get healthy soon, so they took a chance and signed him to a two-way contract in mid-September. 2024.

LA got him cheap and we'll find out if he can play and be productive at the NBA level. If that's the case, the Lakers won't have to make a trade for another big man, but it could take a while.

Don't overreact to how well or poorly Koloko does on Wednesday.

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