From one Raptors bench standout in Jamal Shead to another, it's time to look at Sandro Mamukelashvili.
After Toronto took a low-cost gamble to add Mamu this past offseason by offering him a two-year, $5.5 million deal, the 26-year-old arrived with the right mindset. He quickly became a fan favorite and a friendly face in the locker room.
How has Sandro Mamukelashvili's season shaped up to this year-end point?
So far in 33 appearances with the Toronto Raptors during the 2025-26 campaign, Sandro Mamukelashvili is averaging 10.7 points on 52.8 percent shooting from the field, 40.0 percent from three-point range, and 78.2 percent from the free throw line. He also averages 4.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 21.2 minutes of action off the bench, which currently leads the team in reserve minutes.
While players like Jamison Battle, AJ Lawson, and Collin Murray-Boyles have higher three-point shooting percentages than Mamu — 50 percent for Battle and Lawson, and 45.5 percent for CMB —they do not take as many three-point attempts. Battle and Lawson each average about 1.3 three-point attempts per game, while CMB averages 1.2. In contrast, Mamu is attempting 3.3 three-pointers per game and makes about 1.3 of those shots, which in my opinion, makes him the Raptors' best shooter based on his output.
So far, in his current role with the Raptors, I really like what I see from Mamukelashvili. However, because the team has been struggling to find enough big men, especially with Jakob Poeltl's ongoing injury issues, Mamu is sometimes used in ways that don’t play to his strengths — he can play the five, but he’s much better as a stretch four. I would like the Raptors to find a player who fits that role so Mamu can be used in a way that allows his skills to really shine — Toronto is slowly beginning to address this by bringing in Mo Bamba.
That being said, he has still been pretty effective overall. On December 23, Mamu had a strong all-around game in the team's victory against Miami. He scored 14 points, going 5-for-9 on shots overall, including 4-for-6 from three-point range. He also contributed six rebounds and seven assists.
To clarify, you can't ask for much more from a player who was a budget acquisition and still adds value to the team. Going into the new year, it is safe to say that Mamu has done enough to prove himself.
Grade: A-
*All stats courtesy of Basketball Reference and NBA.com, unless otherwise noted