The Raptors helped Sandro Mamukelashvili make $52 million. He hasn’t forgotten - Toronto Star

Mamukelashvili is giving the Lakers what they expected from him the day he signed.

Sandro Mamukelashvili of the Los Angeles Lakers made a big impact in a short time with the Raptors.

LOS ANGELES—Sandro Mamukelashvili opened eyes in one season in Toronto, opened them all the way to here and a four-year, $52 million (U.S.) contract from the Los Angeles Lakers.

Some day he’ll be able to truly grasp it. All he knows right now is that he’s thankful for that time with the Raptors.

“I think it’s still sinking in, but everything moves so fast in the NBA, you don’t have much time to just really sit down and kind of reflect,” the Lakers big man and ex-Raptor said here before the teams played Sunday night. “But you’re grateful for the path, uh, and you just want to do better.”

Mamukelashvili loved his year in Toronto because it allowed him to expand his NBA skills in a multicultural city that more than satisfied his off-the-court interests.

He grew as an NBA player in a consistent role for the first time in his career and came to appreciate Toronto for its lakefront walks, restaurants and art galleries. It gave him a lot, but that didn’t mean the Raptors could match the financial aspects.

The four-year offer from the Lakers was impossible to pass up, and he bolted Canada for Southern California as a free agent in the summer.

“I think in the league, and in my mind, once one journey ends another one starts and there’s newer heights to chase,” Mamukelashvili said. “And every one teaches you something else, and you become a better person at the end of the day.”

Mamukelashvili is giving the Lakers what they expected from him the day he signed. In his first six games, he averaged about 23 minutes and 9.2 points. He’s already moved ahead of Kevon Looney as the primary backup centre.

It’s the same role he filled with Toronto last season when he averaged 22 minutes, a career-high 11.2 points and shot 39 per cent from three-point range, and coach J.J. Redick lauded Mamukelashvili on Sunday for his varied abilities.

He’s a six-foot-nine, pick-and-pop three-point-shooting big man; he’s got an ability to roll to the basket and dominate smaller defenders; he’s a good initiator with the ball.

“He’s a really rare offensive player, because ... he’s an advantage creator in some ways,” Redick said. “There’s very few offensive players that are all three of those things and he is.”

While it’s true the Raptors had serious interest in bringing Mamukelashvili back when it became obvious market forces would drive him away, they went searching for his replacement.

Drafting Allen Graves (another high-IQ, six-foot-nine big man with three-point shooting) with their first-round pick in June is seen by the organization’s decision-makers as an upgrade eventually.

Graves, just six games into his NBA career, certainly hasn’t had the same impact on any game that Mamukelashvili has right now. He’s expected to be a key rotational piece a year or two into his career, but he won’t be Mamukelashvili.

“I’m really happy for him that he got a contract that he deserves,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said Sunday. “He put a lot of work in … he’s somebody who really made a big step in his career with us. So really, really proud of him.”

Mamukelashvili had a chance to catch up with some of his old Raptors teammates Saturday night and the rest at Sunday’s game. He made sure to seek out Rajakovic to say thanks.

“It felt great (to see them) … I missed Darko a lot,” Mamukelashvili said. “Great guy and we kind of established great bond … I got very close to them, so it’s great seeing them.

“I’m grateful. I’ll never forget that. Darko and Toronto gave me a possibility to be here today. And even though it didn’t work out with him, I’m so grateful that they gave me that chance to go out there and showcase what I can do and what type of player I am.”

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Doug Smith is a sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow him on BlueSky: @smithraptorsbeat.bsky.social.