After being taken in the second round of this past draft, Sandro Mamukelashvili has not seen a sizeable opportunity with the Milwaukee Bucks. However, when the rookie has been given time, he has often shown glimpses of untapped potential with great scoring, shooting, and rebounding. Still, despite his potential, Mamukelashvili has spent most of the season with the Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks’ G-League affiliate, to get more playing time and a chance to improve. With a big role on the team, Mamukelashvili has certainly taken advantage of the opportunity and played some great basketball up in Oshkosh, particularly as of late.
Assessing Sandro Mamukelashvili’s strong play with the Wisconsin Herd lately
Mamukelashvili found himself in the spotlight during Wednesday’s clash with the Raptors 905 as he scored 31 points and pulled down 21 rebounds. Shooting 12-of-17 from the floor, with three of those misses coming from behind the arc, the big man was efficient with his scoring, consistently attacking from start to finish. Mamukelashvili’s rebounding was also impressive, especially on the offensive end, where he pulled down eight. Though the Herd lost, Mamukelashvili’s strong outing served as a massive bright spot and garnered some well-deserved attention.
Though his 30-20 game against the Raptors could be his best performance of the season, there is no shortage of other impressive games from the rookie. The center recently had a double-double with 24 points and 15 rebounds against the College Park Skyforce, which he then followed up by scoring 23 points and pulling down 10 rebounds against the Skyforce again. Those are just two more strong games from Mamukelashvili, but the list goes on and on in what has been a stellar season for the 22-year-old out of Seton Hall.
In 15 appearances with the Herd this season, including 13 starts, Mamukelashvili has averaged 20.7 points,10.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.9 blocks, and 0.9 steals in 32.4 minutes per game. The big man’s offense has been incredibly efficient as not only is he shooting 57.9 percent on 2-point shots, but he is hitting a reputable 43 percent of his triples on 5.3 attempts per contest. The most interesting aspect of Mamukelashvili’s game to monitor moving forward will be his outside shot, given how well he has shot the long ball at this level. If he could develop a consistent 3-point shot, it would certainly help his chances of earning time with the Milwaukee Bucks down the line.
For now, all Mamukelashvili must do is continue playing how he has lately. His recent 30-20 game should help spark some momentum down the stretch with the Herd, and perhaps he will show off more potential in these next few games. If so, he will be an incredibly interesting player to monitor moving forward, as the rookie has an endless amount of untapped potential possibly just waiting to be unearthed at the next level. At the moment, he will stick with the Herd, but the future seems bright for Mamukelashvili.
Be sure to catch Mamukelashvili and the Wisconsin Herd back in action tomorrow as they take on the Grand Rapids Gold in Oshkosh at 2:30 p.m. CST.