The Toronto Raptors lost a key player in free agency when Sandro Mamukelashvili signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. Unfortunately for LA, they will soon learn a bitter lesson about their new forward that the Raptors learned the hard way.
Sandro Mamukelashvili is unplayable in the playoffs.
Mamukelashvili was great on offense
The Raptors certainly got their money's worth out of Sandro Mamukelashvili last season. They signed him to a minimum contract and he turned into a key rotation player, averaging 22 minutes per game and appearing in 80 contests.
His offensive game as a stretch-4 or occasionally a smallball 5 was sublime. He shot 38.9 percent from deep on good volume, thew some slick passes, and had excellent scoring touch on floaters and around the rim.
The problem for Mamukelashvili was his defense, and it was a colossal problem. He is a below-average athlete with below-average lateral movement, and he was eaten alive defensively. He cannot protect the rim nor defend on the perimeter. He knocks free the occasional steal, but he is not event-creating on defense either.
In the regular season, his offense was enough to overcome his defensive challenges, and he was a part of some stellar Toronto lineups. Raptors fans largely fell in love.
Mamukelashvili was a playoff problem
When the playoffs rolled around, however, his defensive flaws were put under a microscope by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round, and he was found wanting. As the Raptors desperately searched for help on offense, they refused to play Mamukelashvili due to his terrible defense.
When Mamu was on the court in the playoffs in competitive situations, the Raptors were outscored by 4.7 points per 100 possessions. Even as they got beaten down by the Cavs, Darko Rajakovic refused to turn to Mamukelashvili. The defensive concerns were too great.
Mamukelashvili played a mere nine minutes in Game 7 against Cleveland, a 12-point loss, and he was -9 for the game. That will prove to be the final coda on his time in Toronto.
Despite those defensive flaws, his impact on offense drove up his market considerably heading into free agency. The Los Angeles Lakers prioritized him over LeBron James, believe it or not. He signed a four-year, $52 million contract to join Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and now Walker Kessler in Hollywood.
The Lakers will learn the same bitter lesson
The Lakers have their sights set on playoff contention and finding a way to overcome the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. Mamukelashvili can help them rack up regular season wins and space the court for Doncic and Reaves.
In the playoffs, however, the very best teams in the West will rip Mamu to shreds on defense. He will be played off the court quickly, $13 million sidelined for the team's greatest moments.
That's a bitter pill for the Lakers and their fans to swallow. It's also the reality. The playoffs highlight a player's greatest flaws and force them to adapt. Mamukelashvili could not, and the Raptors paid the price.
Now the Lakers have paid out a lot of money and probably a starting spot for Mamukelashvili. And they will probably learn the same lesson that Toronto did.
And they are not going to like it.
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