Sandro Mamukelashvili Shares Promising Sign From Luka Doncic’s Lakers Minicamp

The Lakers newcomer offered an encouraging assessment of the new-look roster after joining Luka Doncic and his teammates in Slovenia.

Apr 10, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) runs up court after makes a three point basket during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The new-look Los Angeles Lakers were able to get some much-needed time together this summer, with superstar guard Luka Doncic hosting a minicamp in his home country of Slovenia.

It was an admirable gesture from the reigning NBA scoring champion, who funded the entire trip overseas and has earned high praise from his new teammates for his leadership throughout the process.

Sandro Mamukelashvili Praises Luka Doncic’s Minicamp in Slovenia

Among the Lakers' newcomers is former Toronto Raptors forward Sandro Mamukelashvili, who has been keeping busy this summer playing for his home country of Georgia in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

Fortunately, Mamukelashvili was able to attend the minicamp in Slovenia before playing for Georgia, and had nothing but high praise for Doncic and the unique experience, via ESPN Los Angeles.

First Look 👀: Lakers Forward @Mamukelashvili5 Steps In For A Little Lakers Talk Daily with @Hawkins_Deondre pic.twitter.com/4QGGTi5QkC

— ESPN Los Angeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) September 5, 2026

“First of all, shout out to Luka [Doncic],” Mamukelashvili said. “I think the organization was amazing, the way they planned everything. They showed us a lot of great places, Ljubljana is a really, really nice city. Plus, it was great for the new team. It’s a lot of, a bunch of, new guys on the team and all of us being together, it didn’t even feel like it was a lot of new guys. We all gelled really well, everybody was very positive. I’m super excited for the season, because I see how excited everybody is.”

Mamukelashvili is one of many new faces for the Lakers that have praised Doncic and the trip overseas, as the minicamp clearly helped bring all these players together and may have done wonders for the team’s chemistry ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season.

Sandro Mamukelashvili Obvious Choice for Lakers’ Fifth Starter

With the start of training camp right around the corner, which gets underway right after Lakers media day on Sept. 28, perhaps the biggest storyline will be who will be named the fifth starter for Los Angeles.

Currently, the consensus seems to be that newcomers Quentin Grimes and Walker Kessler will be starters alongside stars Doncic and Austin Reaves. Kessler is no doubt locked in at the center position, while Grimes is the smart bet to be a starter, but that could change.

That leaves the power forward position, with Mamukelashvili looking like the obvious choice to be the fifth starter. There’s a chance that Jake LaRavia slips in there for defensive purposes, but Mamukelashvili is more of a traditional power forward and might be the ideal fit as a starter to begin his stint with the Lakers.

There’s no doubt that training camp and the NBA preseason will be an intriguing watch, with Mamukelashvili trying to prove his worth and Lakers head coach JJ Redick getting a look at how this new-look squad is going to come together ahead of the season opener on Oct. 21.

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