Colin Castleton signs two-way contract with Los Angeles Lakers

Florida big man Colin Castleton is now a Los Angeles Laker, per Dan Woike of the LA Times, who reported that the Gator big man inked a two-way deal with LA. Castleton surprisingly went undrafted on Thursday but found a great home on the west coast with the biggest brand in basketball, where he’ll also be backing up Anthony Davis and LeBron James. So, life is pretty good for this future rookie, even if he didn’t get to hear his name called.

Castleton, who began his career at Michigan, is a five-year college journeyman. He played his first two seasons in Ann Arbor before becoming a regular piece of Florida’s unit for three years. Castleton finished his career logging 14.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks across 78 contests.

He concluded his career with 194 total blocks to his credit — third most in Florida basketball history. He averaged 2.5 blocks per game throughout his career, which is a program record. In 2023, he improved his rim protection skills slightly, averaging 3.0 blocks through 26 starts. Castleton’s strong senior season earned him All-SEC First Team honors after being tabbed to the conference’s second-team in 2021 and 2022.

Before college, Castleton was unranked in the 2018 On3 Industry Rankings, a a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services.

What NBA Draft experts are saying about Colin Castleton

Castleton’s ability to shoot the 3-pointer, or lack thereof, is a concern heading into his NBA career. Shooting 2-for-15 for beyong the arc in his final college season. Still, his elite rim protection skills makes up for those woes.

“Despite standing 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-4 wingspan at 230 pounds, Castleton is a fluid and agile big. A gifted one-on-one shot blocker and a skilled team defender, he represented a critical defensive anchor throughout his time at Florida,” his NBA Draft scouting report reads.

“His excellent reach allows him to contest shots everywhere on the floor, but his comparatively slow speed makes him more of a containment and drop-coverage big when not hovering in the paint. Offensively, Castleton operated primarily as a post-up big and roll man. He took 57.9 % of his shots at the rim.”

The scouting report made a familiar comparison, someone Castleton met in SEC play during the 2021-2022 season. There’s some upside to the former Florida star’s game, but he’s going to be a work in progress and is likely headed to the G League to develop.

“[Castleton’s] size and coordination make him a solid rim-runner and forceful finisher, but there’s no offensive facet with Castleton excels. Evolving his physique could unlock Walker Kessler-esque utilization for the 23-year-old. Kessler’s shot-blocking prowess is an extremely high bar, but he’s also an underrated agile screener and crafty mover around the basket — traits Castleton could work to emulate.”