NBA Draft Big Board 1.0: Cunningham, Mobley, Suggs, And The Best Of The Rest
By Evan Wheeler
25. Sandro Mamukelashvili, F, Seton Hall
Measurables: 6-foot-11, 240 pounds, 7-foot-0.5 wingspan
Class: Senior
Age: 22
Mike’s Ranking: Unranked
Evan’s Ranking: 21
Sandro Mamumkelashvili has been left off of most draft boards, being projected to not even be selected in the 2021 NBA Draft. This in my opinion is an enormous mistake as his offensive abilities as a near-seven-footer and feel for the game remind me of soon-to-be MVP Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.
Like Jokic, I see a unique offensive weapon that a franchise can ultimately build a scheme around. As a scorer there is nothing Mamukelashvili can’t do, he can handle, shoot, pass, and is one of the better post scorers in this class.
Seton Hall's Sandro Mamukelashvili is a player I've seen on virtually no NBA Draft Big Boards and that's very puzzling to me. I guarantee you there are not 59 players better than him in this class, I'm not sure there are 29 better than him. I love his skillset. #NBA #NBATwitter pic.twitter.com/7Z2kqlbjJa
— Evan Mazotti (@Evzsz) May 18, 2021
Conventional wisdom is that he’ll be a big defensive liability in the NBA, but I believe Mamukelashvili has the foot speed to not get totally lost in switches on the perimeter. He does lack elite athleticism and vertical leaping ability which could limit his upside as a shot-blocker, but ultimately he could be the epitome of a hidden gem in plain sight.