The Lakers have undergone some major changes this offseason, but new addition Sandro Mamukelashvili says you wouldn’t know it from being around the team.
Mamukelashvili has yet to play an official game for Los Angeles after joining the Lakers this offseason, but he’s already been impressed by how quickly the new-look roster has come together.
The sixth-year forward opened up about the team’s offseason trip to Luka Doncic’s home country of Slovenia during an interview with ESPN’s Deondre Hawkins.
“First of all, shoutout to Luka. I think the organization was amazing, the way they planned everything,” Mamukelashvili said. “They showed us a lot of great places, and Ljubljana is a really, really nice city.
“Plus, it was great for the new team. It was a bunch of new guys on the team, and you know, all of us being together, it didn’t even feel like it was a lot of new guys.”
That’s an encouraging early sign for Los Angeles as the franchise prepares to enter a new era built around Doncic following LeBron James’ departure during the offseason.
Mamukelashvili was one of the depth additions made by Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka. The 27-year-old previously spent time with the Bucks, Spurs and Raptors and is one year removed from averaging career highs of 11.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
The Lakers have also spent plenty of time together on the golf course this offseason, and Mamukelashvili revealed Bronny James might be one of the players to watch there.
“I’ve been hearing a lot about Bronny [James],” Mamukelashvili said. “They say he’s really, really good, and that he actually plays a lot. … So I’m kind of looking forward to seeing the Luka, Austin, Bronny tournament.”
The fun will soon turn back to basketball, with the Lakers expected to report for training camp on September 29.
With a revamped roster and Doncic now firmly established as the face of the franchise, there are plenty of questions surrounding how quickly everything will come together.
According to Mamukelashvili, the chemistry part may already be ahead of schedule.
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