Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
Spurs Season-In-Review: European Big Sandro Mamukelashvili 'Well-Coached' and Well-Liked
In a league where big men have become more dominant and even more relied upon, the San Antonio Spurs have found a guy they can trust down low.
After dealing away Jakob Poeltl, San Antonio turned first to its own roster to fill in at center, and found a solid replacement in Zach Collins, who has only grown since joining the starting rotation.
But when Collins is not playing?
Former Bucks big man Sandro Mamukelashvili has made himself at home, both with the Spurs and on the court.
Like Julian Champagnie, Mamukelashvili has only been in San Antonio for just under 20 games after the Spurs claimed him off of waivers in early March.
Despite his short tenure, the big man has brought consistency all around, averaging 10.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 23 minutes. His size allows him to score down low while his athleticism allows him to make more difficult shots, but its his overall talent and hustle that has earned him the respect of his teammates.
"My teammates are great," Mamukelashvili said. "They [bring] positive energy and trust me. ... That goes a long way as a young guy. When you see your teammates trusting you and believing you, it goes a long way."
The 23-year-old Seton Hall product proved his ceiling as well, at least for this season.
In the Spurs' second game in Austin against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Mamukelashvili had himself a night all around the court, highlighted by a double-double, which only added to the list of reasons for San Antonio to keep him around — though Spurs coach Gregg Popovich seems to be already on board.
"He's European, which makes me love him right off the bat," Popovich said. "I think those guys are unbelievably well-coached and overall understand the game better than most of us here."
San Antonio has seen its share of Hall-of-Fame European players, and while Mamukelashvili may not be on pace to catch the likes of Manu Ginobili or Tony Parker, he has made an instant impact that Popovich likes "everything" about.
Next season, the Spurs will have an edge on re-signing the big man in free agency, and with the performance he has shown, that very well could be the case.
Especially with past European legends at the top of the first-year Spur's list of players he looks up to, his potential is only set to skyrocket as he gains experience in the NBA.
You can follow Matt Guzman on Twitter.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Spurs? Click Here.
Follow Inside the Spurs on Twitter.
Follow Inside the Spurs on Facebook.
Want even more San Antonio Spurs news? Check out the Si.com team page here.
