Three Spurs who are fighting for their NBA lives in the last month of the season

3. Sandro Mamukelashvili

You might be wondering how Sandro Mamukelashvili ended up on this list. He is nowhere near as old as Birch and has spent significantly less time in the league than Langford. But with clubs focused on milking prospects for every ounce of untapped upside, players are either young and mysterious enough to invest in their talent or aging out of that honeymoon phase.

As a soon-to-be 24-year-old, Mamukelashvili is on the fringe of those two categories. While the towering floor spacer never got a fair shake with the Bucks, he was dominant for their G League affiliate, averaging 20.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game on 51.9% shooting from the field.

After Milwaukee released the second-year big man, San Antonio swooped in to claim him off the waiver wire. Earning rotation minutes for an Eastern Conference contender was almost impossible. Mamukelashvili could have a much easier time locating a role for a shorthanded Spurs squad with the NBA Draft Lottery on their mind.

The Silver and Black have assembled a collection of low-risk, high-reward prospects this season, and Mamukelashvili is their latest project. Although he might not pan out, it makes sense to gamble on a frontcourt player in a rebuilding year, especially if they can make threes, handle the ball, and hit teammates with impressive passing reads.