The San Antonio Spurs may have lost both Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox for the rest of the season, but that doesn't mean they don't have weapons.
Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 34 in Wednesday's win over the New York Knicks, and did so in just 19 minutes, thus becoming the first-ever player to score that many points in under 20 played minutes.
Rock-solid talent
To those who have tracked Mamukelashvili's career, this isn't much of a surprise. The 6'11 big man is loaded with skills, and has generally been underutilized for much of his career.
Not only is a he a good three-point shooter, evident by his 7-for-7 performance against the Knicks, and his near-44% accuracy for the year, but he's also a big, physical rebounder, an effective inside scorer (83.3 FG% near the rim), and he can pass on the move, which is saying something for a guy who's 250 pounds.
Mamukelashvili has long had good chemistry with Wembanyama, but the Spurs have opted to primarily pair their franchise player with Jeremy Sochan, and Harrison Barnes in the front court.
That makes some sense given that both are generally viewed more favorably in terms of experience and impact, but it does feel like a bit of a wasted opportunity to not explore the Mamukelashvili/Wembanyama pairing more.
Decision coming this summer
Mamukelashvili will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, just as he was last year. The big man actively wanted to return to San Antonio a season ago, so it'll be interesting if both he and the Spurs are keen on continuing the relationship.
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The low minutes total for Mamukelashvili - 430 this season, which follows 451 last year - will surely impact his potential earnings this summer, as teams will justifiably wish to see more before they commit to a significant pay day.
As such, the remainder of this season becomes incredibly important to Mamukelashvili, if he wishes to cash in on a new, and bigger deal.
However, minutes and opportunity should be the main priority, by far. If the Spurs are open to playing him more, then re-signing on a modest deal would be fine, as that could lead to increased compensation down the line.
If, however, another situation proves more intriguing, in which the Georgian is promised a bigger role, that's what he should follow.
Regardless of his future, one thing remains a constant. The skill set he offers, and the potential he sports, both deserve to be further explored.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats viaNBA.com,PBPStats,Cleaning the Glass orBasketball-Reference. All salary information viaSpotrac. All odds courtesy ofFanDuel Sportsbook.