The big fella, Sandro Mamukelashvili, man...
You cannot ask for more out of a guy who the Raptors invested so little in and took a flier to see what he could bring to this squad, and he is quickly emerging as a top fan favorite and absolute spark off the bench. The Raptors are officially the East Group A winners in the NBA Cup bracket, becoming the first squad to move on to the Knockout Rounds. They did so riding off their most dominant victory of the season: a blowout 140-110 win over the Washington Wizards on November 21.
In this game, the masterful work of Mamu was on full display. He secured his best performance of an already standout 2025-26 campaign for the Georgian big man. Mamukelashvili led all Raptors reserves in points scored, with a stellar 22-point night on 8-for-15 shooting from the field, including 2-for-3 from deep. He also contributed seven rebounds, two assists, and one steal, posting a second team-high plus-minus of +22 in just over 20 minutes of play.
This was Mamukelashvili's first 20-plus point game since his career-defining 34 against the Knicks on March 19, 2025, despite it being his ninth double-digit game of the year for the Raps. That game made headlines as the first instance in NBA history of a player scoring that many points in less than 20 minutes. I believe that set the precedent for any Mamu watchers to see that this guy has pure hooping skills in his arsenal, and he’ll bust his you-know-what-off in any minutes capacity or role.
Sandro Mamukelashvili is undoubtedly among the NBA's best budget contracts
Now, I don't know if Mamu is universally regarded as the most bang-for-your-buck player in the NBA, since we have some great talents on value contracts — like Deni Avdija, Ryan Rollins, or Daniss Jenkins, who has become an absolute secret weapon for the Detroit Pistons and looking like LinSanity 2.0.
When you look at the other players in Mamu's tier earning around the realm of $2 to $2.5 million this year, there are some solid candidates like Trendon Watford, Vit Krejci, Collin Gillespie, and Josh Okogie. However, I still believe Mamukelashvili is playing a tier above those guys, as impressive as they’ve been. Through 15 games, Mamu has kept up his hyperefficient play, standing at season averages of 10.1 points on 56.3 percent shooting, including 44.4 percent from three, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists.
He fits effortlessly into any Raptors lineup, as reflected by his third-highest net rating on the team at 16.1. And speaking of his seamless fit, the chemistry he's developed with another rising bench talent, Jamal Shead, has been a pleasure to watch. The quick bond he formed with this new squad highlights what kind of character Sandro Mamukelashvili is both on and off the court. Simply put, when Mamu is on the floor, Toronto is often cruising past their opponents by a comfortable margin.