Sandro Mamukelashvili may turn out to be one of the most underrated pickups of the offseason. The Los Angeles Lakers dipped their hands into the free agency market for the versatile towering Georgian.
First impressions of Mamukelashvili have been good over training camp and preseason. Everyone around the 6-foot-10 forward, from head coach JJ Redick down to several core stars have been impressed by what they are seeing.
Speaking after a Lakers practice session on Sunday, Lakers guard Austin Reaves was full of praise for Mamukelashvili.
“He’s a good basketball player,” Reaves said. “I think he struggled a little bit during the first of camp, and I think he was just worried about not doing the right thing every single possession. I know JJ talked to him, I talked to him, I’m sure Luka talked to him and we told him that he’s here for a reason. We believe in him and we want him to be himself and that’s been the main message to him.”
The Lakers couped up Mamukelashvili after a season with the Toronto Raptors. He enjoyed a breakout year, playing and starting a record number of games.
Lakers Guard Praises New Addition
Mamukelashvili has been actively involved in all three preseason games for the Lakers and his numbers have been quite impressive. He started the game against the Golden State Warriors in between two bench appearances against the Sacramento Kings.
What has been particularly interesting is that the Georgian forward has had an incredible shooting exhibition. He has not shot below 50% from beyond the arc in the three games and shot as high as 75% against the Warriors going 3-of-4 from the 3-point line.
He also made three 3-pointers in the most recent game against the Kings taking his tally to eight threes made so far. In context, that is more than Luka Doncic has managed so far even though the Slovenian superstar has played a game less.
Reaves believes that Mamukelashvili’s versatility is so immense that the big man should even play-make on offense.
“He’s got such a high basketball IQ that if he gets the rebound, he should basically play (point guard),” Reaves added. “And it doesn’t matter if I’m on the floor, it doesn’t matter if Luka is on the floor, if he gets it and goes and he has a good matchup, we trust whatever he has planned to do. He’ll be really good for us.”
The Lakers signed Mamukelashvili to a four-year deal worth $52 million. At 27 years old, the franchise is banking on having him around long term.
Mamukelashvili’s Role in L.A.
There has been some speculation about where will be the best fit for Mamukelashvili. Naturally, he could take the starting power forward spot which has Jake LaRavia as well as Jarred Vanderbilt. He has also been speculated to play backup center minutes behind Walker Kessler.
Whichever role Redick sees fit, one thing that is sure is that Mamukelashvili will bring full value for his worth. As Reaves suggested, he can even play a secondary role.
Against the Warriors, both Doncic and Reaves were absent and Mamukelashvili led the team in scoring with 15 points in just 18 minutes of action. Redick will hope he doesn’t have to be in a situation without those two main stars but players like Mamukelashvili provide an interesting option.
Mamukelashvili averaged a career-high 11.2 points per game last season. He also added 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists.
Lakers Signed 6’10” Do-It-All Playmaking Point Guard, According to Austin Reaves