Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic on the sideline against the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Raptors have secret weapon coming off the bench

Originally posted on Toronto Raptors on SI
By Logan Struck | Last updated Nov 20, 2025 11:00 AM ET

Despite losing four of their first five games of the season, the Toronto Raptors have recently shot up to third place in the Eastern Conference with a 10-5 record after winning nine of their last ten.

While stars like Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram , and RJ Barrett undoubtedly deserve their flowers amid Toronto's success, they seemingly have a secret weapon off the bench. Fifth-year big man Sandro Mamukelashvili has been heavily underrated to start his debut Raptors season, but is now getting some recognition from national media outlets.

Raptors' top role player gets love from ESPN

David Richard-Imagn Images

In ESPN's latest NBA power rankings, they slotted the Raptors right outside the top ten at No. 12, but it was Mamukelashvili who got some special recognition. ESPN's Zach Kram noted Mamukelashvili as the "most important role player" for Toronto.

"In his first season in Toronto, Mamukelashvili has emerged as one of the league's top backup centers," Kram wrote. "Mamukelashvili is a capable stretch big, sinking 45% of his 3-point tries, and the Raptors have a plus-13.8 net rating when he's on the floor. That's the second-best margin on the team, behind only the plus-17.3 net rating for fellow reserve Gradey Dick."

Through 14 games this season, coming off the bench in each one, Mamukelashvili has averaged 9.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 17.6 minutes per game while efficiently shooting 56.8 per cent from the field and 42.4 per cent from three-point range.

Zach Lowe notes Raptors' offseason steal

Sandro Mamukelashvili is the most eficient player of the NBA!!!

Mamu is the only NBA player with:

— 59+ FG%
— 5+ FGA per Game
— 44+ 3P%
— 2+ 3PA per Game
— 5+ GP

This season, Sandro must be one of the best signing this season . #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/B3GgXJkJ9Y
— RaptorsMuse (@RaptorsMuseOk) November 16, 2025

This offseason, the Raptors signed Mamukelashvili to a two-year, $5.5 million contract with a second-year player option, and they could not be happier about the result. With a clear need for a backup centre, Mamukelashvili has been huge amid Toronto's win streak.

The Ringer's Zach Lowe was showing exceptional love for the Raptors in a recent episode of The Zach Lowe Show, and made sure to give Mamukelashvili the flowers he deserves.

"Mamu has been — I haven't done the research on this, I'm just gonna let it fly — Mamu has been bang for the buck, maybe the best value free agency signing of the entire offseason. Best value as in low value, low dollar value. He has completely changed their team."

Toronto's bench has been incredibly underrated throughout the season, and Mamukelashvili has been very important to the rise of the Raptors this season.