TOPSHOT – San Antonio Spurs’ Georgian-US forward-center #54 Sandro Mamukelashvili (C) jumps to the … More
The Orlando Magic made a huge splash with the trade of Desmond Bane, finally acquiring a guard with legitimate outside shooting capabilities, who can also initiate offensive actions.
As it stands, the Magic now have four clear-cut starters in the form of Bane, Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Jalen Suggs.
So, what is their plan at center? Let’s take a look at their current situation, and why the organization should try to make a play for free agent Sandro Mamukelashvili next month.
The current center core
Wendell Carter Jr, acquired via Chicago four years ago, has mostly stagnated in his play. The 6’10 big man had two initial seasons in which he looked like the center of the future, when he averaged 15.1 points, and 9.6 rebounds, over a two-season span.
However, his numbers have regressed in the latest two, where he sits at 9.9 points, and 7.1 rebounds.
Raw stats can obviously be misleading, as minutes, touches, and offensive function play significant roles in how a player performs. Yet, in the case of Carter Jr, he’s flat-out become more passive, and simply does less when he’s on the floor.
Inexplicably, the Magic extended his contract, and even gave him a raise, as he signed for $58.6 million over three years.
For comparison’s sake, his last deal, the one he’s currently on, fetched him $50 million over four years.
Now we move on to Goga Bitadze.
The 6’11 center started 42 of 70 games this season, but only barely cracked 20 minutes per game.
While he’s a solid interior player, on both sides of the floor, he doesn’t offer floor spacing, as he connects on just 10.7% of his long-range shots. That’s a problem when Banchero and Wagner both need as much space to operate as humanly possible.
Why Orlando should sign Mamukelashvili
In San Antonio, Mamukelashvili has been underutilized. The 6’10 lefty is a stat-sheet stuffer on a per-minute basis, and that’s remained true for the entirety of his NBA career.
Most importantly, Mamukelashvili is a high-volume three-point shooter. He connected on 60 shots from beyond the arc this season, which might not sound like a lot, but he did so in just 681 minutes.
Mamukelashvili is quick to get shots up, he’s nimble, can pass on the move, and he’s an exceptionally strong physical presence, who is an elite rebounder.
Signing the 26-year-old doesn’t come with the expectation that he should necessarily start, although that door most certainly mustn’t close. It comes primarily with the expectation that he will help space the floor for the four aforementioned starters, and optimize their three-point output.
What’s intriguing about Mamukelashvili is he can do that, while also do traditional big man stuff as cut to the rim, catch lobs, and generally cause havoc in the paint.
And the best part?
More than likely, he won’t break the bank. While he should have improved his own market via his play this season, we’re presumably looking at a compensation level the Magic can easily afford.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
