Raptors Provide Somewhat Promising Update on Christian Koloko's Health Status

Christian Koloko appears to be making some progress.

There's still no official update from the Toronto Raptors regarding the status of their ailing big man but the 23-year-old is ramping up with more basketball-related activities. He was seen doing post-up drills and taking shots Monday during the team's practice. It appeared to be a more intense workout than he'd previously done during the portion of practice open to media.

"He's still in the same status. He's getting some shots. He's doing a little bit more on the court with coaches right now, but nothing more than that," Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said Monday.

Koloko has been dealing with a respiratory issue since the summer and was forced to miss Summer League with the ailment in July. There's been no official word on what caused the problem as the team has elected to keep the issue vague.

It does appear that Koloko is making progress. He has been seen taking shots during practice earlier this year but Monday appeared to be more intense than before.

Koloko appeared in 58 games for Toronto last year and made 19 starts while helping to anchor a frontcourt that was awfully thin for the Raptors before Jakob Poeltl arrived. Even still, Toronto remains without a traditional backup center and has been forced to use Precious Achiuwa and Chris Boucher as the team's small-ball center whenever Poeltl sits.

Aside from Koloko, Toronto is expected to be at full strength when the team returns to the court on Wednesday against the Miami Heat.