EuroBasket showcase for new Raptors signing signals exciting times ahead

With the final week of August nearly wrapped up, it also means we're inching closer to the inevitable 2025-26 NBA regular season, where a new-look Toronto Raptors squad is preparing to make their presence felt. And joining the fray of this mildly refreshed Raptors lineup is Georgian big man Sandro Mamukelashvili, who signed with Toronto in free agency after spending three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs.

Summer might be winding down for us regular folks, and I bet some other basketball stars are still enjoying their offseason ventures, but for Mamukelashvili and a host of other European talents, they are currently engaged in FIBA EuroBasket play. The tournament, which kicked off on August 27 and runs until September 14, features 24 different countries. Some of the NBA's top talents are participating, including Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Alperen Sengun, Franz Wagner, and many others.

Getting back to Mamukelashvili, it seems he didn't want to waste any time making an emphatic statement, especially in a high-stakes matchup against the defending EuroBasket champs Spain: the 26-year-old forward took charge alongside another NBA big, Magic center Goga Bitadze, for a perfect twin tower punch.

Georgia would best Spain in a final tally of 83-69 in what was a Group Phase showdown, and Mamukelashvili would post these impressive stats: 19 points on 54.5% field goal shooting, going 2-for-6 on three-pointers, 5-for-6 from the free-throw line, seven rebounds, six assists, one steal, and a +14 plus/minus.

Sandro Mamukelashvili shines early in EuroBasket — a sign of his Raptors potential?

I raved about the Mamu signing when it happened, and watching him play like this is only going to excaberate not only my excitement, but I bet a ton of other Raptors fans also. I highlighted how it was such a low-risk, high-reward (sneaky was the way I put it) move for Toronto, seeing as they've needed a competent back up big for quite some time now.

But to just call Mamu your prototpyical bench-level NBA center/forward is discounting his skillset. I think this first dose of EuroBasket play unveiled how much Mamukelashvili can impact the game.

Attacking down low, waiting patiently on the perimeter, taking command with the ball and moving around the court — either to find his own shot or, as his six assists suggest, navigating with effective basketball IQ to locate the open man or a better look ... Mamukelashvili is good business, plain and simple.

Now, international play is definitely different from the NBA stage, but even in small doses, Mamu has proven he's the real deal. I don’t expect he’d be a focal point with the Raptors so quickly, given how he's utilized on his native team, but man, Toronto has a gem they can tap into if needed.