Sandro Mamukelashvili’s Minutes Fall to 11 and 13 for Toronto

Sandro Mamukelashvili has gone from a steady bench piece to a smaller playoff role for Toronto, with his minutes dropping to 11 in Game 3 and 13 in Game 4 of a 2-2 series against Cleveland. He entered Game 5 after playing 20 minutes in the opener and logging a solid outing in Game 2.

Mamukelashvili and Toronto

His series line tells the story. Mamukelashvili is averaging 4.3 points, dead last on the team in the playoffs, even though he leads Toronto in postseason rebounds at 7.0 per game.

That is a sharp turn from his regular season, when he averaged 11.2 points on 52.3 percent shooting and hit 38.9 percent from three. He also posted 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists, production that helped him finish top 10 in Sixth Man of the Year voting.

Games 1 Through 4

The early series usage shows the slide. Mamukelashvili played 20 minutes in Game 1, then had a solid outing in Game 2 before Toronto cut his floor time to 11 minutes in Game 3 and 13 in Game 4.

Toronto has been looking for efficient offense from the bench, and the reduced role has left his playoff output much quieter than the regular-season version that made him a useful spark off the bench. The matchup has trimmed his court time, and the numbers have followed.

Game 5 Pressure

With the series tied 2-2 before Game 5, Toronto still had reason to lean on whatever production Mamukelashvili can provide. The line from inside the team was direct: "Heading into this important matchup, I don’t think it’s crazy to say there’s a bit of a chip on the shoulder of one player: Sandro Mamukelashvili."

For Toronto, the immediate issue is simple. If his minutes stay near 11 and 13 instead of the 20 he opened with, the Raptors will have to replace the scoring and rebounding he supplied during the regular season somewhere else in the rotation.