LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Lakers come into their NBA Cup matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday riding a three-game win streak. And they’ll have as close to a healthy rotation as they can get. Forward Sandro Mamukelashvili was initially listed as questionable on the Lakers’ injury report due to an illness, but was later upgraded to available.
As far as the rest of the Lakers’ injury report, second-year forward Adou Thiero is cleared to make his season debut after rehabbing a knee issue, while Bronny James and Cameron Carr are both out due to G League assignment.
Signed in the offseason as part of the Lakers’ roster revamp around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, Sandro Mamukelashvili has been one of the team’s most consistent players to begin the year. He’s been singled out by head coach JJ Redick as one of the most versatile players on the roster capable of playing what he calls the ‘point-five.’
“I think he’s even better than I thought he was just from being around him every day. He’s obviously also a fantastic human being. But the size, the skill, I was just actually with him before our team meeting and I was talking to him about some stuff, but one of the things I said to him is like, he’s a really rare offensive player,” Redick told reporters during his pregame press conference before the Lakers faced off against the Toronto Raptors on Nov. 1.
“He’s an advantage creator in some ways. So if he’s guarded by a five, he can pick and pop into space. That’s an advantage creation. He’s really good at follows and touch rolls, roller behind. That’s an advantage creation. So he’s an advantage creator. And then his point-five decision-making and his shooting ability and finishing ability, he’s an advantage finisher. He’s also a connector. There’s very few offensive players that are all three of those things, and he is.”
Article Continues BelowThus far, Mamukelashvili has appeared in all nine games of the Lakers as they’ve gotten off to a 7-2 start. He’s playing a little over 23 minutes per game while averaging 9.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists. The former Seton Hall standout is shooting 46.9 percent from the field, 31 percent from the 3-point line and 75 percent from the free-throw line.
The Lakers are 0-1 so far in the NBA Cup standings after losing to the Golden State Warriors last week. With Mamukelashvili available, the Lakers will try to grab a win and keep pace in the cup standings.

