Locked On Spurs: How Can Sandro Mamukelashvili Earn Rotational Minutes?

The San Antonio Spurs have benefitted early from Sandro Mamukelashvili's strong play in the preseason, putting him in contention for rotational minutes. But what can he improve on?

Oct 9, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) shoots in the first half against the Orlando Magic at Frost Bank Center. / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Through three preseason games, San Antonio Spurs big man Sandro Mamukelashvili has continued to prove his worth.

The Spurs are 2-1 after wins over the Orlando Magic and Utah Jazz, and Mamukelashvili — a non-traditional big man — has done well, averaging 12.7 points, 2.3 assists and three rebounds on 57.6 percent shooting from the field 58 percent shooting from deep in a little under 18 minutes.

"His confidence is building," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said of the big man. "Him feeling good about himself is really important — it helps every facet of his game ... (and) that makes him someone we have to look at very seriously."

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Aside from keeping his confidence up, what else does Mamukelashvili need to do to strengthen his game? For one, maintaining a strong 3-point percentage will be key. Perhaps finding a midrange shot would benefit him, as well.

There might be a few things, but if one thing is for sure, Mamukelashvili has been off to a strong start and could we well on his way to earning rotational minutes.

Tune into the latest episode of Locked On Spurs, hosted by KENS5's Jeff Garcia, to dig deeper: