Sandro Mamukelashvili of the Toronto Raptors is currently dealing with significant discomfort from a bruised rib, but the injury has not diminished his determination to remain on the court.
According to Eric Koreen of The Athletic, the forward/center is pushing through the pain because he is highly motivated to experience meaningful playoff action for the first time in his career.
Rather than focusing on the injury, Mamukelashvili is taking a mental approach to managing the situation, choosing to ignore the discomfort as much as possible so he can continue contributing to his team during a crucial stretch of the season.
“I’m mentally blocking it out,” Mamukelashvili said of his injury. “There are no issues. I’m telling myself there is nothing hurting and however many minutes I get, I’ll go out there and play like I’m a hundred percent healthy.”
Although the 26-year-old technically reached the postseason during his rookie season with Milwaukee, he was unable to participate in games because he was signed to a two-way contract at the time, leaving him ineligible to suit up.
That experience has added extra motivation as he now looks forward to finally playing a real role in playoff competition.
Mamukelashvili has emerged as one of the league’s more productive bench contributors this season, providing consistent energy and efficiency in limited minutes.
Across 55 games, he has averaged 11.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while shooting an efficient .525 from the field, .383 from three-point range, and .764 from the free-throw line in roughly 22.5 minutes per game.
His strong performance has also positioned him well financially heading into the offseason.
The Georgian big man holds a $2.8MM player option for the 2026/27 season, but based on his current level of play, he is widely expected to decline it in pursuit of a more lucrative contract this summer.
Raptors Notes: Walter, Mamukelashvili, CMB, Barnes, Poeltl https://t.co/qoembnwtPj
— Hoops Rumors (@HoopsRumors) February 24, 2026
