Sandro Mamukelashvili introduced himself to the Crypto.com Arena crowd on Thursday, dropping 19 points, three rebounds, and four assists off the bench in the Lakers’ 114-110 preseason win against the Sacramento Kings. This dude straight-up brought the house down, showing everyone exactly why the Lakers snagged him for a four-year, $52 million deal this offseason. He finished the night shooting 7-of-10 from the field, giving the Lakers faithful a taste of what’s coming.
Mamukelashvili Is Just Draining Threes Like It’s Nothing
Seriously, this guy made it look effortless. After popping out to the three-point line following a ballscreen, he caught the ball at the top of the key. Kings center Maxime Raynaud rushed out to close, but Mamukelashvili, all 6-foot-10 of him, just dribbled right, put the ball between his legs, and drilled a step-back three-pointer. Cash. The very next possession? Bronny James drove hard, swung the ball to Mamukelashvili in the corner, and boom, another three! The crowd went nuts, and for good reason. That sequence breathed some serious life into the arena. Mamukelashvili isn’t just a big man; he’s a full-on basketball player, as he put it after the win: “I’m a basketball player. To be honest, wherever you put me, I’ll try to do my best.”
The Ultimate Connector Is Here, And His Versatility Is Insane
Mamukelashvili brings a unique skillset that the Lakers haven’t seen at his position for a long time. The dude is the ultimate connector, a traditional forward who can scale up and down on defense, and then turn around and dribble, pass, and shoot on offense. Through three preseason games, with Walker Kessler yet to even make his debut, Mamukelashvili has already played backup center, starting center, and even spent time at the power forward next to Kevon Looney. He’s averaging 14 points and 3.7 assists in just 19.4 minutes per game, with wild 57.1/57.1/100 shooting splits. Austin Reaves, who just made his preseason debut after missing two games with a tweaked ankle, absolutely raved about him. Reaves said Mamukelashvili was “great today” and emphasized they just need to give him confidence to “be himself.” Apparently, early in training camp, he was “trying too hard to not disappoint anybody instead of just playing basketball the way that he knows how to play basketball.” But Reaves made it clear: “we want him to be him and if he does that, he’s going to be really, really big for us.” Mamukelashvili admits he’s still learning, especially with his defensive responsibilities constantly changing based on the lineup. But his ability to adapt and perform is already a massive asset.
This guy is clearly just scratching the surface of what he can do, and as the preseason continues, watching him grow into this connector role is going to be appointment viewing. The Lakers got themselves a versatile weapon, and if he keeps this up, the league better take notice.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Silver Screen and Roll.
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