Take Five: Which Spurs Deserve Another Look From PATFO?
Several players earned another audition during the final stretch of the season.
The San Antonio Spurs have arrived at the end of their 82-game schedule, completing a roller coaster ride of auspicious moments and aggravating errors that characterized the opening chapter of the Victor Wembanyama era. This milestone also concludes our first season of basketball coverage at The Vic-and-Roll, so thank you for tagging along as we experimented with various types of content.
We have spotlighted our extraterrestrial franchise centerpiece and his supporting cast of Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, and Keldon Johnson all year. But several intriguing names across the roster deserve a closer look as the Silver and Black prepare for what could be a monumental summer for their rebuild. So, who made enough noise to merit another extended audition in the 2-1-0?
1.) Sandro Mamukelashvili
After finishing his first go-round with San Antonio on a positive note and notching an encouraging showing with the Georgian national team at the 2023 FIBA World Cup last summer, Sandro Mamukelashvili seemed like a prime candidate to cement himself as a staple of the second unit heading into this season. However, Coach Popovich buried the 24-year-old behind Zach Collins, Charles Bassey, and Dominick Barlow on the depth chart as the Spurs spiraled in the standings.
Despite almost exclusively receiving meaningless garbage time minutes in blowout thrashings, Mamukelashvili stayed prepared for his opportunity to shine and offered infectious energy whenever he stepped on the floor. His patience and determination finally paid off over the last two weeks, as the third-year center broke into the nightly rotation for the shorthanded Silver and Black, averaging 11.4 points and 9.9 boards while shooting 47.2% from the field and 37% from beyond the arc.
Mamukelashvili will be a restricted free agent this summer, and the front office should strongly consider bringing him back to the 2-1-0 to bolster their bench. His late-season audition demonstrated his value as a court spacer, connective playmaker, and extra-effort player who has no issue battling on the glass or putting his body on the line to chase loose balls. His suspect man-to-man defense and lack of switchability are troubling, but that shouldn't matter much in a scaled-down role.
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