The Los Angeles Lakers may not be anyone’s favorite to win the Western Conference finals next season, but it is hard not to get excited about the many moves the team has made. But, like with any team, many questions typically arise when the roster gets revamped in one offseason.
“With the Lakers opening training camp in a week, storylines from the last few months will be brought back to the forefront of conversations,” Lakers insider Khobi Price wrote for the California Post. “How will superstar guard Luka Doncic lead the franchise after it decided to fully entrench itself in an era guided by him? Will the Lakers’ offseason roster reconstruction — which included the departure of LeBron James after eight seasons in Los Angeles and addition of nine players over the last three months — provide the desired results?
Among the players at the forefront of those conversations is newly signed Sandro Mamukelashvili, whom many fans are buzzing with excitement over. A 6’9” power forward with impressive 3-point shooting accuracy, Mamukelashvili is seen as someone who will help the Lakers eliminate their biggest weakness from a season ago.
How Mamukelashvili Helps Bring a Whole New Dimension to the Lakers
Mamukelashvili is no All-Star. He is not even considered a star. But in his role for the Lakers, he can absolutely have a bona fide star impact. The 27-year-old big man is one of three players the Lakers added who can transform the team’s scoring off the bench after ranking near the bottom of the league last season.
“The Lakers ranked 29th in bench scoring last season at just 29.3 PPG,” LakeShow on ClutchPoints wrote on X. “Only Houston was worse. So this offseason? Collin Sexton. Sandro Mamukelashvili. Ziaire Williams. The Lakers attacked their biggest weakness. More scoring. More depth. More help outside Luka & (Austin) Reaves.”
It is unclear what role Mamukelashvili will play for the Lakers, but the good news is that he can contribute off the bench and even has some upside as a starter. Some fans and analysts will have their reservations about Mamukelashvili starting for the Lakers, especially when considering his subpar defense and that he only started 13 games for the Raptors last season, but his 3-point shooting accuracy and scoring efficiency will make him among a few Lakers in line to earn the team’s final starting job.
Mamukelashvili Could Quickly Become a Favorite in L.A.
We can already imagine Crypto.com Arena erupting with Mamuuuu when he lets the ball fly from beyond the 3-point line.
Not only is Mamukelashvili’s game easy to like, but the same can be said for Mamukelashvili the person.
“A lot of people in the NBA’s scouting and analytics community love Mamukelashvili. They love the person — he has a tremendous reputation as a great locker-room guy,” The Athletic’s Dan Woike wrote. “They like his size and skill set, particularly the shooting. They like the work ethic that drove him from two-way contracts to an important role with the Toronto Raptors last season.”
More importantly for the Lakers, Mamukelashvili has demonstrated his versatility over his five NBA seasons. He can play some power forward, he can even sprinkle in some minutes as center.
The Lakers clearly see that as a major plus. That four-year deal they gave him in July surely speaks volumes.
Lakers Get Good News as New 6’9″ Elite 3-PT Big Man Solves ‘Biggest Weakness’