Sandro Mamukelashvili was one of the Los Angeles Lakers’ summer arrivals and, as an early addition, it signals intent that the franchise expects him to be a valuable piece on the roster.
Mamukelashvili arrived alongside the likes of Walker Kessler as major additions in L.A.’s bid to build a competitive roster behind Luka Doncic.
At 6-foot-9, Mumukelashvili could play his natural power forward position or even slot into the center role. According to Lakers Nation’s Trevor Lane, given that the team already has Jake LaRavia as a four, it should make Mamukelashvili the primary backup behind Kessler to satisfy minutes.
“By using Mamu as the primary backup in the backup at the center spot, to actually get value on his contract. With the amount that they gave him, you need to get Mamu more than 20 minutes a night,” Lane said. “And the way to do that might be just allowing him to absorb all the backup five minutes behind Walker Kessler.”
Mamukelashvili arrived from the Toronto Raptors on a four-year, $52 million deal and comes in as a signing that can bolster the Lakers’ frontcourt this upcoming season.
Lakers Advised to Make Sandro Mamukelashvili Decision
The Lakers were sold on getting a starting center as a primary offseason target. It prompted the quick signing of Kessler from the Utah Jazz, and that opened the gates to more additions. One such addition was Kevon Looney, with the veteran center being the backup to Kessler.
Looney is a former NBA champion — three times at that — and is a solid depth piece. If Mamukelashvili takes up a backup role in the center position, it would limit Looney’s minutes considerably. However, the trade-off could solve another roster fit issue in the power forward role.
“I have Jake LaRavia as the favorite right now to be the fifth starter, that’s me personally but Mamu got the big payday, Jarred Vanderbilt makes more,” Lane added. “(LaRavia is) going to start games and he’s going to get a shift in the first quarter, but he’s not going to get another shift in the second half. It’s actually going to be Mamu that is closing out games on the floor with Kessler, with Luka with Grimes, with Austin.”
The Lakers could see this as a positive problem for the team. They now have big players like Mamukelshavili who can also stretch the floor. However, as a starting four next to Kessler, Lane feels that LaRavia is a better fit. As a backup center, he can fulfil contract minutes as well as play the five during the second half.
Mamukelashvili’s Potential Impact
Starting minutes or not, Mamukelashvili is a massive addition to the Lakers unit. He was a huge factor in the Raptors returning to the NBA playoffs last season as he enjoyed a career-high year.
The Georgian star shot an elite 38.9 percent from beyond the arc while averaging 3.7 attempts per game. He also put up 11.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists across 80 games. He finished in the top 10 of Sixth Man of the Year voting.
A starting role wouldn’t be a headache for Mamukelashvili; the 13 games he started in 2025-26 were his highest and only double-digit starts in his career. However, more minutes on the floor would be expected in L.A. to build off the impressive season he had last year.
Mamukelashvili gives the Lakers another option, especially with Kessler’s offensive game being limited to inside the perimeter.
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