Sandro Mamukelashvili Enjoying Being Austin Reaves’ Teammate

In the Los Angeles Lakers’ first three preseason games, one bright spot unquestionably has been the play of Sandro Mamukelashvili. He has fit in well with his new teammates, which includes Austin Reaves, who made his preseason debut on Thursday against the Sacramento Kings.

In 25 minutes, Reaves put up eight points, five rebounds and eight assists on 2-for-7 from the field. Mamukelashvili knows the type of player Reaves is and is already enjoying having him as a teammate.

“Well, he gave us 40 (points) I think last year in Toronto, so I’ve definitely seen a lot of him,” Mamukelashvili said of Reaves after Thursday’s preseason win. “Training camp, he plays so free. He’s such an easy guy to talk to, you can always go up to him and ask him questions. I would say he has very good leader tendencies, he’s going to give you motivation. Before every game, he comes to me and tells me to play my game. So, it’s cool having him.

“I think today he came out, he was playing hard, he was playing his brand of basketball and he was diming. He did amazing and first game when you come back, it’s always a little wobbly. But I think he did his thing and that’s Austin. He can come out and get hot any second. So for the role players, we always gotta be ready cause there’s so much attention on him. That’s where we can find little spots to help him out.”

Mamukelashvili was feasting on drive-and-kick opportunities from the Lakers guards as Reaves already knew to look for him. The versatile forward found himself in positions with wide-open 3-pointers and he made those opportunities count, which led to a 19-point performance.

Head coach JJ Redick wanted more dynamic players this offseason and the former Toronto Raptor demonstrates those qualities. As teams key on Luka Doncic and Reaves, it prompts opportunities for Mamukelashvili, Quentin Grimes and potentially Ziaire Williams to score on lop-sided defenses.

Additionally, Los Angeles’ guards are unselfish and more than willing to make the right play. Hopefully, the role players take advantage of those opportunities and Mamukelashvili seems ready to do exactly that.

Sandro Mamukelashvili celebrated signing with Lakers in perfect way

When Mamukelashvili officially committed to signing with the Lakers in free agency this offseason, he revealed he celebrated in a way that featured playing an iconic song from L.A. rapper Snoop Dogg.