What made Sandro Mamukelashvili such an interesting fit with the Raptors last season was his 3-point shot. He knocked down 38.9% of his 3.7 attempts per game while playing the four or the five and giving the Raptors a new frontcourt look no one else on the roster could. He signed with the Lakers in free agency, leaving the Raptors to find a replacement.
Kyle Anderson has shot the three quite well over his career, but never with the same volume or draw as Mamukelashvili did last season. Rookie Allen Graves, who shot 41.3% on 2.6 3-point attempts in college, is much more likely to replicate Mamukelashvili’s production from deep—if his 3-point shot translates to the NBA. His summer league stint was an encouraging first sign, but he still needs to prove it against faster, more experienced NBA-level defenders.
If Graves can reliably space the floor, his role could grow quickly throughout the season. If he can’t, there are other things he can do to earn minutes, but the Raptors could also be left missing that floor-spacing element Mamukelashvili brought to the frontcourt rotation last year.
Graves’s 3-point shot could become invaluable
Playing two frontcourt players who don’t space the floor next to each other can be tricky in the modern NBA, especially when the roster also doesn’t feature a ton of 3-point shooting at other positions. That’s why Mamukelashvili’s 3-point shooting was so valuable last season. It meant he could work with any combination of players offensively and bring something completely different than Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl, or Collin Murray-Boyles.
If Graves doesn’t emerge as a reliable 3-point shooter in his rookie season, the Raptors will be left with Immanuel Quickley, Kawhi Leonard (or Brandon Ingram if the trade is not completed before the start of the season), Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamison Battle, and, hopefully, Alijah Martin as floor spacers. That’s not a whole lot of 3-point shooting around Scottie Barnes.
If Graves does knock down 3-pointers in his minutes, it would make his fit next to any of Barnes, Murray-Boyles, or Poeltl much smoother. It would also unlock a fascinating defensive lineup with him next to Barnes and Murray-Boyles, which would otherwise be too wonky offensively to work. Graves was known as a disruptive defender in college, and while there are some concerns about his athleticism, the hope is that he can have the same effect in the NBA. If he does that and knocks down 3-pointers, he could quickly grow into an even better fit than Mamukelashvili.
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