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Sandro Mamukelashvili: “I would say, first, I want to play in Europe. I want to finish my career there. I want to live there most of the time, and hopefully, once I have kids, I want them to go over there with me and experience those emotions—being close to home, having it be easier for my parents to fly in, and easier for my friends to come visit. As far as developing basketball in Georgia, that is one of my goals. I think Zaza jump-started something amazing by creating his own academy. He does an amazing job developing kids, but I think there is still so much more to do, even on the professional level. We have a good league, and it is developing, but I think we can do so much better and grow it even more. There are kids who love basketball and want to become basketball players, and I think doing summer camps, bringing in coaches, and showing more of the talent level we have in Georgia will hopefully help us continue to develop.”
Sandro Mamukelashvili: “I think these days a lot of coaches don't understand how much mental it is mentally important to lock in with the player. How how how important it is to be open to your player to where he can knock on your in your office door, come in and just have a conversation not only about basketball, but about what's going on in his life or whatever he has concerns with. I think Darko is amazing at that. Like he first of all, amazing X and O's coach. He knows what he's doing. He he loves fast-paced basketball which kind of fits me a lot as a player. But like like I came in my first practice and I went on the side and I asked the assistant coach something like whispered it to him like he stopped practice and he was like I'm standing right here like you can ask me a question. Don't feel like you have to go somewhere and then it's not it's not like that here.
Sandro Mamukelashvili: Darko doesn't take easy on anyone. Like if you make a mistake, he you're going to hear about the mistake in the film. If you didn't pass the ball, you're going to hear about that you didn't pass the ball and it was a bad shot. So I respect that as a coach just knowing that he going to get on everybody and he going to put everybody and treat everybody at the same standard. But also defensively, a lot of guys are like, ‘Oh, Sandro defensively did it, Sandro.’ He came to me and he said, ‘If you don't get beat, that means you're not playing hard.’ So I'm okay with you getting deep as long as you are playing hard and pressuring the ball and playing to our standards. So that also is amazing. Just just coach giving you that freedom to be aggressive and interesting. Get beat. But yeah, that's why he said always there's helps, there is help side, there's eagles and everything, but he loves he loves to challenge you.”
Josh Lewenberg: Sandro Mamukelashvili is the only NBA player that's played with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama, 2 of the most unique stars ever. “I would say Giannis is more physical. That’s how he gets his buckets – in the paint, bully ball. Wemby is more versatile. He can shoot the hell out of the ball, use both hands, mid-range”
Josh Lewenberg: Sandro Mamukelashvili on Victor Wembanyama: “I don’t think you can set a bar at how good he can be. You really can’t predict what he’s going to do. He might pull up from half court or if you press up he might just go down & dunk it. I think the more experience he gets, the stronger he gets, sky’s the limit”
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Josh Lewenberg: Collin Murray-Boyles and Sandro Mamukelashvili are both available tonight, per the folks in Chicago. The Raptors are at full strength coming out of the all-star break.
They really like him: To a man, the Raptors were happy for the recognition Rajakovic earned, but perhaps no one has thrived more under Rajakovic than Sandro Mamukelashvili, the journeyman who has emerged as an essential piece in the Raptors rotation. “(He) just allows you to be you and just not think too much. Just play hard,” the Georgian big man said. “(He) gives you freedom to decide on the court how you want to play. And only thing he asks from you is every day to bring 110 per cent of intensity, work hard and just be coachable. But on the court, he just gives you that freedom, which is great for a player, because it just makes you be you, and it helps you, and also he has a very unselfish style of basketball, so it’s kind of built towards you.”
Josh Lewenberg: In just 48 games, Mamu already has more win shares (3.6) than any Raptors free agent signing since Biyombo more than a decade ago. The lowest of bars, but imagine where this team would be without him, especially in light of Poeltl's injury. Another gem tonight (16 pts in 20 mins)
Law Murray: Darko Rajakovic has ruled out Immanuel Quickley (back) for tonight vs Clippers. Garrett Temple and Sandro Mamukelashvili are available. And if you can type that on your iPhone with no typos, respect.
Josh Lewenberg: A few changes to the Raptors’ injury report for tonight’s game vs the Clippers. Mamu (illness) has been upgraded to probable and Battle (ankle) has been ruled out. Barrett, Poeltl and Walter are out. Quickley still questionable.
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Naturally, Mamukelashvili didn’t feel like he had the luxury of playing through mistakes. He told himself that he needed to be perfect, an unrealistic expectation for any player or person to have of themselves. “It’s been tough because of the position I was in,” Mamukelashvili told TSN. It’s not like you have a lot of chances to make a mistake. When you’re a second rounder on a two-way [contract], you’re such an easy person to move. If they like somebody else, you’re the first one gone… I was hard on myself because I put a lot of work in and nothing came easy for me.”
Keerthika Uthayakumar: Sandro Mamukelashvili was a team-high +27 tonight. 13 points, 12 rebounds & 8 assists. He was 2 assists away from becoming the first player in Raptors franchise history to record a triple-double off the bench.
