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The Los Angeles Lakers listed forward Sandro Mamukelashvili as questionable ahead of their matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.
Mamuelashvili is a new arrival on the injury report, as he is dealing with an illness.
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The Lakers signed Mamukelashvili to a four-year, $52 million contract in the offseason, bringing him in to help make up for their offseason losses of Rui Hachimura and LeBron James in the forward positions. He has featured in each of the Lakers’ nine games so far this season, averaging nine points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game through 23.4 minutes per game.
He’s yet to start a contest, though has played valuable bench minutes behind Walker Kessler, Matisse Thybulle, Jake LaRavia and Ziaire Williams, who have all found routine starting spots.
He’s still managing to impress despite his supplementary role, with head coach JJ Redick saying he’s “even better” than he thought he would be.
Who Will Take Sandro Mamukelashvili’s Minutes If He Misses Friday’s Game?
If Mamukelashvili has to sit, Jake LaRavia and Jarred Vanderbilt are the most likely players to pick up his minutes against the Trail Blazers.
LaRavia has started five of his eight games with the team so far this season, averaging 6.4 points and 3.4 rebounds in 23.4 minutes per game so far this season. With Mamukelashvili potentially out of the picture for a game, he could step into a larger role Friday.
Vanderbilt has played a much smaller role for the team, featuring in just five games in a bench role. His height can help make up for Mamukelashvili’s absence, as he has been decent on the boards through five contests.
Who Else Could Miss Friday’s Game for the Lakers?
Other than Mamukelashvili, the only players the Lakers listed as out for Friday are Bronny James and Cameron Carr, both of whom are currently with the Coachella Valley Lakers for the start of the G League season.
Adou Thiero, who had been on the injury report for the entirety of the season, is back in action, and is cleared to play in what would be his season debut Friday.
The Lakers lost their last game against the Trail Blazers last Tuesday by a score of 136-129. The two teams currently sit level by record in the Western Conference, meaning the Lakers will assume sole control of the first seed if they win Friday. Tip off for Friday’s NBA Cup match comes at 7:00 p.m. PT.
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