This offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers invested a sizable amount in Sandro Mamukelashvili by inking him to a four-year, $52 million deal. Through three weeks, that’s been a remarkable move as Mamukelashvili’s absolutely thriving with the Lakers and providing critical, versatile minutes off the bench.
The Georgian big man is averaging 10.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 41.2% from deep and 57.7% on 2-pointers. Los Angeles entrusts him with varying roles, whether it’s spacing
the floor, operating as a playmaking hub, driving closeouts or toggling between power forward and small-ball center. It’s evident the organization, whether it be players or coaches, have the utmost confidence in him.
Now, the goal is to make sure Mamukelashvili himself embraces that autonomy and is unburdened by any fear of mistakes whenever he’s on the floor.
“I want him to understand how much his teammates, his coaches, myself, we believe in him. The focus on the next play, I think, is big for him,” head coach JJ Redick told reporters following Wednesday’s win, when Mamukelashvili recorded 23 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal. “Being able to move on after a missed shot, a defensive mistake, whatever it may be, just move on to the next play and focus on that. But I think the big thing for him is understanding that he has a lot of freedom.”
Mamukelashvili said he feels the unbridled support rippling from coaches and teammates and is optimistic he’ll soon echo that credence in him. But he admitted achieving it is easier said than done.
“I hope I’ll start believing in myself as much as they do,” he told reporters Wednesday.
Mamukelashvili’s finest two games of the season may have come Wednesday in Milwaukee and Monday against the Atlanta Hawks. During those two outings, he’s scored a season-high 23 points each time and averaged 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals. As he continues to grow more comfortable in his new environment, performances similar to those could become the norm — much to the Lakers’ benefit.
“He’s just getting more confident as he plays more. He’s an extremely, extremely talented offensive player,” Walker Kessler said Wednesday. “We all believe in every shot he shoots and every play he makes. … We believe in his offensive game and he’s getting more confident and he’s really, really helping us.”
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