New Los Angeles Lakers big man Sandro Mamukelashvili is arguably the most intriguing piece the front office added this summer. Capable either as a starter or reserve, as a traditional power forward or a small-ball center, and extremely offensively talented, Mamukelashvili opens up a lot of possibilities for this offense under head coach JJ Redick.
He is also someone who can pair extremely well with superstar Luka Doncic with his ability to stretch the floor. And the big man has already been in contact with Doncic and putting in the work to ensure he’s ready when they come together.
“He reached out,” Mamukelashvili said of the Lakers superstar during his first media availability. “He said he’s very excited that I’m part of the team and he can’t wait to get to work. I said ‘I’m going to the gym and I’m gonna shoot a million 3s right now, corner 3s, to make sure I’m ready.’ That was literally the conversation and hopefully I can see him more and get to know him more.”
The two will have plenty of time to build up that chemistry, but they aren’t completely unfamiliar with each other either. Mamukelashvili actually grew up in Europe at the same time as Doncic and was always chasing him in the rankings. Now, he’s looking forward to Doncic making his life easier on the Lakers.
“You know Luka and me, we were born in the same year,” Mamukelashvili added. “So being in Europe I used to always hear a lot about Luka and I grew up seeing how good he was and how big he was at the early age so it’s cool to just be his teammate now. I remember there were rankings in Europe and he was always number one, so I was just trying to get there, get there. So now just being his teammate it’s amazing and I really do think he’s gonna make my life a lot easier.”
Last season with the Toronto Raptors, Mamukelashvili averaged 11.2 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 52.3% from the field and 38.9% from 3-point range. With his skill level and high IQ, Mamukelashvili’s game will only be enhanced playing alongside Doncic.
Sandro Mamukelashvili has tattoo inspired by Lakers legend Kobe Bryant
Joining the Lakers is something that almost felt like destiny for Mamukelashvili as he grew up watching Kobe Bryant lead this team to great success. In fact, he was so inspired by Bryant that he even got a tattoo representing his famous Mamba Mentality that he has embraced in his own career and life.
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