When Sando Mamukelashvili signed with the Toronto Raptors early in free agency, it didn't make tidal waves across the NBA landscape. But that won't stop the 26 year-old center from becoming an instant fan favorite in Toronto (and perhaps an underrated on-court pickup, too). At Raptors media day on Monday, when asked what fans will fall in love with about him, Mamu said:
"I play hard. I play very hard. I play to win. I want to win... I try to be as good of a person as I can be off the court, make sure I engage the fans, make sure I love the city as my own, and I want to say thank you to everybody for welcoming me with a warm heart..."
And, yeah, that's all you need to win over fans! Play hard, be a good person, engage with the fans. It's a simple and effective recipe.
Okay, it's almost all you need to win over fans. Because perhaps most importantly, Mamukelashvili made to clear up the one thing that potentially put his good standing with Raptors fans in early jeopardy... wearing a Yankees hat in public.
"I wanted to clarify one thing... I wore a Yankee hat yesterday during the soccer game... I just want to say, it was just a hat... I don't want people to get this the wrong way, I was just trying to put a fit on... So, I'm about to buy hella Blue Jays gear."
This guy rocks. We're all just trying to put fits on, Sandro. And your willingness to learn and grow —i.e, not wear Yankees gear anymore — will be greatly appreciated by Raps nation.
Mamukelashvili won't just be a good vibes guy
I mean, he is a good vibes guy, but the Raptors plan to use him pretty regularly as their backup big man, so he'll be much more than just a lovable bench player. At media day, Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković brough up Mamu unprompted, talking about what he brings to the team:
"One thing that's going to really help us this year is gonna be having... Sandro on the team. He's gonna be playing backup five for us, but also he's a player who can stretch the floor. So, it's really going to allow us, especially with the second unit, to go to different schemes, to look for different guys in DHOs and pick-and-rolls.... To use him for pick-and-pop... I think that's going to be a big difference for us this year, having that type of player that can really help us to connect that group."
That's pretty high praise for a guy who has averaged just 11.5 minutes per game in his career — a mark that he might double with the Raptors this year. Jonathan Mogbo did some exciting things last year as a rookie, but it sounds like Darko is already smitten with Sandro.
Today wasn't the first time Mamu made his love for Toronto public, either. In July, just a few weeks after signing with the team, he said:
"I love the organization, the fan base is amazing... A lot of young guys who want to get better, want to get to a next level together... I really want to prove everybody that I'm a rotational piece... Toronto was a great option, a great fit for me... I'm going to give it my all to the city... There's a big Georgian community in Toronto, so I'm really excited to see some flags during the game, and, you know, be a proud Georgian."
A new fan favorite has emerged in Toronto.