Raptors’ Mamukelashvili could be the X-factor against Cavaliers
The Raptors have been proving people wrong all year. They’ve thrived in an underdog role since the season began. People have doubted them and they just brush it off and put the work in. While most players would say that they don’t listen to the outside noise, for Sandro Mamukelashvili, that outside noise has motivated him.
“It started in Spain, the first practice we had we all bought in and everybody was like ‘What is your goal?’ and everybody was like ‘To make the playoffs, to make the statement.’. Then the ESPN stuff came out and we were like 12th or 10th or something… I think everybody knew how much talent we had, and as I said you take the talent away, I come at night at the gym and I see 5-6 players, 4-5 players, you come in the morning somebody’s shooting before practice. That type of character, that’s going to get you over the humps… cause you know nobody gets comfortable, everybody’s on their toes, everybody wants to go out there and be the best version of themselves and you know, that’s what I think gave us that thing where we can prove these people wrong…”
It may seem unfair to ask a man who’s already had a career year to do even more, but if anyone is ready and able to do so, it’s Mamukelashvili. The big man has already taken a massive leap with the Raptors, scoring a career-high 11.2 points per game behind his best shooting year yet, but he has the chance to become a Raptors legend if he helps the team to their first playoff series win in six years.
Mamukelashvili represents a complex matchup problem for Cleveland, his combination of size, speed, and elite three-point shooting makes him a tough cover for the Cavaliers’ bigs. If they meet him above the break, he can beat them off the dribble or at the bare minimum he’ll have removed them from the paint. Which would be perfect for Toronto as it would open up lanes for Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, and RJ Barrett to attack the rim. Then if Cleveland decides to throw one of their smaller defenders at him, he should be able to overpower them on drives and post-ups with his size and strength.
The playoffs are a pressure-cooker environment where every weakness and mismatch is exploited to it’s fullest potential. Anyone who has watched the Raptors this year knows that they thrive in a fast-paced style of play, pushing the ball in transition as often as possible. I would be shocked if Cleveland doesn’t sacrifice the chance for offensive rebounds in favour of limiting the Raptors transition opportunities.
This is where Mamukelashvili’s ability to both elevate the Raptors’ halfcourt offense and create transition opportunities will be essential. When he’s been on the court, the Raptors have scored more on first shot halfcourt possessions than when he sits. More importantly, his knack for jumping passing lanes and creating transition opportunities off steals will be a massive boost to the Raptors’ offense. Cleveland can easily limit transition opportunities off rebounds, simply send more guys back on defense. It’s far more difficult to limit those opportunities off steals, they’re unpredictable and self-created, and Mamukelashvili is one of the best in the league at creating them. When he’s on the court the Raptors increase their transition frequency off steals by 6.7 percentage points, this jump ranks in the 88th percentile.
While the offensive upside is clear as day, it would be disingenuous to talk only about how he can boost the Raptors productivity without discussing the other side of the ball. Mamukelashvili hasn’t been an imposing force in the paint, teams shoot more and are more efficient at the rim when he plays. They also secure more offensive rebounds. For Mamukelashvili to have the impact on the offensive end that the Raptors need, he needs to be stronger defensively. He has the tools and he’s shown flashes, he’s strong, and I’ve seen him impose himself on post-ups with physicality and vertical contests. Neither of Cleveland’s bigs are towering, Allen and Bryant are both the same height as Mamukelashvili. He has to be able to hold his own. There will be times when he plays alongside Poeltl, which can paper over his interior defense, but for this series he offers the greatest advantage when he replaces Poeltl on the court, and so his defense is going to have to be good enough to handle that responsibility.
Mamukelashvili has been on a roll lately, he’s scored double digit points in 10 of his last 12, every single time he’s on the court you can feel the energy shift. Samson and Louis have discussed the importance of pace for this series, and no one brings the pace quite like Mamukelashvili does.
In the playoffs you have to exploit every minor advantage you have. Mamukelashvili provides the Raptors with a unique skillset that should thrive in this series. He and the Raptors have been proving people wrong all year, and now they’re both primed to do it again.
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