10 Indiana Pacers who never played a single minute for the team
By Jack Simone
10 Indiana Pacers who never played a single minute for the team: 2. Sandro Mamukelashvili
Perhaps not the most notable player on this list, Sandro Mamukelashvili is still very young and has the potential to be a quality player in the NBA for a long time.
His connection to the Indiana Pacers organization comes down to a draft day decision, as Indiana was the team that selected the Georgian big man out of Seton Hall.
The Pacers picked Mamukelashvili with the 54th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, but he was traded before he ever got the chance to even pick out a jersey number with Indiana.
They shipped him off to the Milwaukee Bucks in a deal that netted the Pacers Isaiah Todd and a random assortment of second-rounders. None of the picks are of note just yet, as the Pacers also sent out some picks in the deal.
This trade was essentially Indiana’s way of pushing their selection back a year, as they didn’t want to take on a player that late in the draft. However, Mamukelashvili has been an intriguing talent during his time in the NBA.
Mamukelashvili is now with the San Antonio Spurs, and he just re-signed with them this summer. He gave Gregg Popovich real minutes after joining the team midway through the season this past year.
In 19 appearances for the Spurs, Mamukelashvili averaged 10.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 45.3% from the field and 34.3% from behind the three-point line.