The Los Angeles Lakers need a lot of help from unexpected sources to have a good season. Many changes to the roster see NBA pundits criticizing the Lakers for downgrading talent. Losing LeBron James and another group of rotation players from last season saw polarizing additions to the team. One under the radar name featured Sandro Mamukelashvili joining the roster for power forward and center depth.
NBA insider Brett Siegel of Clutch Points revealed why he thinks Mamukelashvili could win a major award this season:
“I think Mamu has a better chance to win Sixth Man of the Year than some people might think… assuming Mamu comes off the bench, I think he should be in this mix.”
A strong summer performance in the FIBA World Cup showed that Mamukelashvili is playing basketball at a high level just six weeks before the NBA season starts. Siegel expects Walker Kessler to start at center and one of the traditional forwards at power forward.
Names like Jarred Vanderbilt and Jake LaRavia will enter training camp hoping to start. Mamukelashvili would come off the bench in this scenario and have the chance to put up impressive stats. The Sixth Man of the Year race is wide open with quite a few names having realistic hopes.
Why Sandro Mamukelashvili Is Pivotal To Lakers
Last season featured Mamukelashvili getting some secondary votes in the Sixth Man of the Year race to finish 10th overall. The Toronto Raptors didn’t need Mamukelashvili to contribute much, but he still put up a career high 11.2 points per game.
The Lakers will need everyone in the rotation to step up behind the leadership of Luka Doncic. Mamukelashvili’s size and playing style seem perfect for a system led by Doncic to ensure that he gets enough playing time and open looks.
Both Doncic and Austin Reaves will likely help Mamukelashvili get more open three-pointers since he’s improved his shooting in recent years. The need for shooters in the Lakers lineup may be what Mamukelashvili needs to put up good numbers and find himself involved in the Sixth Man of the Year race.
Other Top Candidates For Sixth Man Award
Most major NBA awards have noteworthy betting odds showing the favorites now. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, and Victor Wembanyama are forecasted to be the MVP favorites again. Wembanyama is a dominant favorite to repeat as the Defensive Player of the Year. However, the Sixth Man of the Year Award has odds all over the place since it’s harder to forecast.
Bet MGM revealed the following early favorites for the elusive award:
Dylan Harper: +700
Ajay Mitchell: +800
Reed Sheppard: +1600
Anthony Black: +2000
Recent winners Keldon Johnson, Payton Pritchard, and Naz Reid have all fallen off from being the top favorites for this award due to each of their teams making noteworthy changes.
Some players known for being a sixth man will either move into the lineup or share the bench duties with equal or better talent. Mamukelashvili will share bench minutes with Collin Sexton, but his size and skill set should lead to more playing time.
NBA Insider Says Unexpected Lakers Player Could Win Sixth Man