Getty Blake Hinson #36 of the Los Angeles Lakers shoots against the Boston Celtics in the second half of an NBA Summer League game.
The Los Angeles Lakers are waiving undrafted rookie Blake Hinson, according to Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto.
The Lakers made the move to make way for former Toronto Raptors center Christian Koloko, who missed the entire last season after he was discovered to have a career-threatening blood clot issue.
The 7-foot Koloko is set to take over Hinson’s spot as the Lakers’ third player on a two-way contract, joining second-year center Colin Castleton and rookie French forward Armel Traoré.
The 6-foot-8 Hinson, who shot 42.1% on 7.9 3-point attempts in his final season with the Pittsburgh Panthers, showed plenty of promise in his brief stint with the Lakers.
Hinson ended his NBA Summer League campaign with the Lakers on a high note, exploding for a team-high 25 points with five 3-pointers. He added three rebounds and two assists to lead the Lakers’ 107-81 blowout win over the Chicago Bulls in their NBA Summer League finale.
Blake Hinson was a MONSTER tonight!😤
He finished with 25 PTS and 3 REB while also securing 5 threes made for the @Lakers. #NBA2KSummerLeague pic.twitter.com/a6SsNpzNsN
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) July 21, 2024
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Before that, Hinson also dropped 17 points and four 3-pointers against the Atlanta Hawks on July 17.
During the California Classic opener, Hinson also had 17 points on 5 of 7 shooting from deep off the bench. He added three rebounds, two assists against one turnover, and a steal in a well-rounded performance.
New Lakers head coach JJ Redick referenced multiple times during his introductory press conference that he wants the Lakers to improve their 28th-ranked 3-point shooting last season.
But while Hinson possessed one of the attributes Redick was looking for, Hinson figures to be the odd man out with the Lakers having Austin Reaves, Max Christie, Cam Reddish and 17th overall pick Dalton Knecht ahead of him in his position.
Christian Koloko Celebrates NBA Comeback with 6-Word Tweet
Koloko is excited about his NBA comeback.
“God’s timing is always the best,” he posted, tweet-quoting The Athletic’s news breaker Shams Charania’s report of his signing with the Lakers.
Koloko has been cleared by his doctors in July, according to Sportsnet Canada, and he quickly started training for his NBA comeback.
The Lakers beat plenty of teams, who were also interested in signing Koloko after he gets clearance from the NBA Fitness panel to play again.
Koloko was also pursued by his former team Raptors along with the Los Angeles Clippers and the San Antonio Spurs, according to Charania.
The 24-year-old center was the 33rd overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. He had a promising rookie season, averaging 3.1 points per game, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 13.8 minutes for the Raptors until his serious medical condition sidelined him indefinitely.
The Raptors waived him in January to complete the Pascal Siakam trade with the Indiana Pacers.
Lakers Frontcourt Hit With Injuries
Koloko has a chance to carve out a meaningful role in the Lakers frontcourt which has been hit with injuries.
Jarred Vanderbilt’s foot is still not 100% from his injury last season.
Christian Wood will also miss at least eight weeks, per Charania, after undergoing another knee surgery.
Koloko will join Jaxson Hayes and Castleton as the only healthy Lakers backup behind Anthony Davis entering the training camp.
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Lakers Waive 42% 3-Point Shooter for Center With Medical Concern