Lakers can offer Sandro Mamukelashvili an opportunity the Raptors never could

The Raptors gave Sandro Mamukelashvili an opportunity to have a career season and outplay his contract. He did both, which ultimately cost the Raptors one of their key frontcourt players from the regular-season rotation (he wasn’t nearly as impactful in the playoffs). He declined his player option, hit free agency, and earned a pay raise the Raptors couldn’t afford to match. 

By signing with the Lakers, Mamukelashvili got more than just a bigger contract. He also got an opportunity to compete for a starting spot (or at least a bigger role), which wouldn’t really be a possibility with the Raptors. 

Scottie Barnes is firmly established as the Raptors’ frontcourt star and is very durable. Even if he had to miss some significant time with an injury, Collin Murray-Boyles would be next in line to take on a starting role. Likewise, if the Raptors needed to (or wanted to) replace Jakob Poeltl in the starting lineup, that opportunity also would have gone to Murray-Boyles over Mamukelashvili if he had stayed in Toronto. 

The Lakers, however, have a glaring hole in the frontcourt that Mamukelashvili could fill if they don’t land Jonathan Kuminga or another starting-level forward.

The Lakers still lack frontcourt depth

Our sister site, Lake Show Life, recently put together a depth chart for the Lakers with the current players on the roster. Three of the five starters aren’t up for debate: Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler. Quentin Grimes slotted in as the starting small forward, and Mamukelashvili emerged as the best option for the starting power forward spot over Adou Thiero and Jarred Vanderbilt. 

While there is still a chance that the Lakers can make another meaningful addition, like landing Jonathan Kuminga or P.J. Washington, which would push Mamukelashvili back into a bench role, he has a better shot at claiming a starting spot with the Lakers than he would have had with the Raptors. 

Even if he doesn’t start, he will be a primary backup—which would probably be the best-case scenario for the Lakers. Mamukelashvili is a great reserve, but may be overtasked as a full-time starter for a team under a lot of pressure to put a winning squad around Luka Doncic. The Raptors, meanwhile, will want to make Murray-Boyles their most important frontcourt reserve. That would still be the case if Mamukelashvili had re-signed with them. 

The Raptors already added new frontcourt depth

The Raptors signed Kyle Anderson in free agency to add veteran experience and frontcourt depth and drafted Allen Graves to fill out their frontcourt rotation behind Barnes, Poeltl, and Murray-Boyles. 

The 19-year-old rookie is the more fascinating pickup of the two, as he showcased a solid 3-point shot in college—something the frontcourt is missing with Mamukelashvili gone—and stood out as a disruptive defender. While he still has to prove that both are sustainable at the NBA level, his four-game stint with the Raptors’ summer league team was an encouraging first sign. 

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