Former Spurs bench warmer has found success in new home and fans love to see it

Sandro Mamukelashvili was a fan favorite while he wore silver and black. The New York-bred big man from Seton Hall was easy to love. He was always positive, played with energy, and was a great teammate. It was frustrating to watch him get stuck on the end of the bench, as the versatile forward got little playing time during his tenure in San Antonio. That's changed for him in Toronto.

Mamu went from averaging 12.5 minutes per game over the two-plus seasons with the Spurs to 20.4 this season with the Raptors. He's averaging 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists per game, shooting 53% from the field and 40% from deep.

The Raptors have begun to slide recently, losing two straight and going 3-7 in their last 10 games, but even after those woes, they sit above .500 at 17-13, holding onto the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. That's a winning team, and our guy is contributing to their success. That's nice to see, considering moving on was the right thing for him and for San Antonio.

Mamu wasn't going to get the time he deserved

Look at the depth on this roster. They go nine deep in intense matchups but generally have the benefit of deploying 10 or 11 whenever they want. Dylan Harper gets the fewest minutes out of all the main guys in the rotation at 21.5. Next in line is Jeremy Sochan with 15.9, and he doesn't even play every game.

If Mamu were still on the roster, he'd face the same issue he always has: not enough playing time. That's why he left in the first place. The former Milwaukee Buck loves playing basketball, and he wasn't getting the chance to do that enough. He's talented enough to deserve that. We've seen it in several stints when he was afforded minutes, but he didn't get to display it often enough.

Spurs Nation will never forget Sandro's 34-point explosion against the Knicks in mid-March last season. With Flavor Flav in the building, Mamu went absolutely ballistic, going 13-14 from the field to get revenge on New York for beating the Silver and Black on Christmas. He did all his damage in less than 20 minutes that night. It was ridiculously unreal, and it couldn't have happened to a better guy.

Mamukelashvili may be on his third team, but he's found a role that works for him. Stability is something we all search for, so hopefully, Toronto will be his home. They have the space for him to reach his ceiling, and he's just entering his prime.