SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Spurs' Sandro Mamukelashvili will soon be battling on the court with rookie Victor Wembanyama next season and already he is comparing him to a current NBA champion.
Mamu spoke with BasketNews about the rookie big man and is seeing similarities between him and Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo.
"You can say that, as he is very long and athletic. I feel like he has a great shot for his size and handles. I think he will be a generational player once he develops," the Spurs big man said.
Mamu certainly has a foundation to compare the two players.
He played with Giannis from 2021-23 before landing with the Spurs. With the Bucks, he saw the NBA All-Star up close and personal to make the comparison with Wembanyama.
"Giannis dunking on me was crazy, but you know, it was not once. I feel like he used to play hard, and I used to challenge him," he said "I went to his house a couple of times to play one-on-one. It's great to be around him, so I got better."
Mamu already had a chance to meet the 19-year-old Spurs big man.
Needless to say, he left Mamu with a great impression.
"Yeah, he is a great guy. Very down-to-earth," Mamukelashvili said. "I love how he works hard -- he comes very early and does his stuff. Definitely, a professional, and I look forward to playing with him, getting close to him, giving him some assists, and getting some of them. You know, he is a great guy."
Paired with Wembanyama, the Spurs have a solid rotation of big men heading into the new season.
Zach Collins and Charles Bassey round out the Spurs' bigs depth making opponents attempting to score in the paint extremely difficult.
MAMU GLAD TO STAY IN SAN ANTONIO
The Spurs and Mamu agreed to a new deal on July 2023. It is a reported one-year deal at $2 million.
"I am very excited and happy, my words cannot describe this," Mamukelashvili told to BasketNews. "I just want to go there, play as hard as possible, and be a part of this San Antonio rebuild.
In 19 games with the Spurs last season, he averaged 10.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 23.3 minutes.
Twitter: @KENS5, @JeffGSpursKENS5