OKC Thunder: Sandro Mamukelashvili should be second round target

Alexander “Sandro” Mamukelashvili, also known as Sandro Mamu, should be one of the top targets for the OKC Thunder in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft. The 6’11 forward plays like a guard and is a highly accomplished college player.

The underrated big man took home the 2020-21 Big East player of the year award, of course being tabbed also for the 2020-21 All-Big East team. For his career, Mamu poured in nine points per game, five rebounds, and nearly two assists with his 6’11 frame. However, the last two years have truly been breakout campaigns for him.

OKC Thunder draft prospect profile for Sandro Mamukelashvili

Specifics:

• Height: 6’11
• Weight: 240
• Wingspan: 7’1
• Position: PF/C
• Birthdate/Age: May 23, 1999/22
• College: Seton Hall
• Hometown: Tbilisi, Georgia 

Box Score Statistics:

Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 7/24/2021.

Current Ranking:

• The Ringer: N/A
• NBA DraftNet: 73
• ESPN: 68
• CBS Sports: 65
• NBA: N/A
• Bleacher Report: 65
• FanSided The Step Back: N/A

Sandro Mamukelashvili strengths and weaknesses

Strengths:

The biggest attribute for Sandro Mamukelashvili is his ability to space the floor with a 6’11 240 frame, and also create for others with his playmaking. Sandro, if he adds a true mid-range, and improves his three-point percentage even a tad, turns into a three-level scorer pretty quickly.

Even his 33-percent from deep in his Senior season is a bit misleading. That is on a 4.6 attempt per game pace, which would be unrealistic in the NBA. When that attempt per game mark was down to just below three, his percentage leaped to 43-percent from beyond the arc.

Factoring in him playing on the perimeter offensively, his nearly eight rebounds per game last year is a huge plus. He understands how to use his body and frame putting him in the best position to snag boards.

With his fluid mobility offensively, you could see him being a very “switchable” defender. In the NBA ranks, I do not expect him to be able to guard 1-5, but could his size, mobility, and length allow him to defend 3-5? That is still a huge advantage. However, for now, he lacks a true defensive identity. Finding that will be the difference for his career.

Weaknesses:

His age will be viewed as a huge weakness entering the NBA, most teams knock players heavily and view them as having no upside once they are no longer 18 or 19 years old. At the end of his rookie season, Mamu will be 23 years old.

As of now, despite his frame, he lacks the ability to defend the rim. While he did a good job of not fouling defensively in his career, averaging just two whistles a game, that is largely due to him not mixing it up much down low. NBA teams have to get that out of him, and he does seem like a hard worker.

How much does his shooting regress against NBA defenses, and at the NBA line? This is a huge weakness for his game because he does not have the free throw percentage crutch. Talent evaluators use charity stripe numbers as an indicator of if a player can extend his range. Being a career 66-percent shooting at the line is not going to install much faith in his long-range ability. Though that mark is good for a 6’11 big.

OKC Thunder fit:

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The OKC Thunder have already expressed some interest in Sandro Mamukelashvili, bringing him in for a two-day workout. The Seton Hall product talked glowingly about the well-respected Thunder organization.

With one of their trio of second-round picks in the NBA Draft, the Thunder selecting Mamu would make a ton of sense. Mark Daigneault would love to get his hands on a 6’11 player who plays like a guard and does not stall an offense by being forced to wait for a guard to come to get the ball after a rebound.

A potential deal for the eventual second-round prospect would be low-risk, high reward. I could see Sandro Mamukelashvili signing anything from a partially guaranteed multi-year deal to a two-way flyer. A lot will depend on his NBA Summer League performance.

If any time has the ability to take a flyer on Mamu, it is the Thunder. With Grant Gibbs leading the Blue and having success developing talent, and Mark Daigneault being a rising star as an NBA head coach, the Thunder organization is a great home for prospects with a ton of potential.