The following is part of Raptors Republic’s series of pieces previewing the season for the Toronto Raptors. You can find all the pieces in the series here.
There is a very real possibility that the Raptors could succeed – even overachieve – this season. And “Mamu” contributing to Toronto’s success could be just as real.
To be clear, it’s a stretch to say that he’s the Raptors’ secret weapon, but two realistic possibilities exist. One, the Raptors’ transition defence remains strong and aggressive defensive schemes allows – or even hides – some of Mamu’s defensive weaknesses. Two, he’ll be less of a liability on defence as he already has the physical tools – he moves well – but he’ll need to make better reads.
Let’s address his weaknesses first. He may have allowed Austin Reaves to drop nine points on him in 11 seconds of being matched up against him, but they were due to mental errors. He made this misread on transition defence, allowing an easy triple. In a recent interview, he suggested he’d thrive in hedges and switches, but got killed by Reaves, switching onto him on the perimeter. He later got his ankles broken along with former Raptor Justin Champagnie’s.
But mechanically, he seems to be fine on defence, even if he doesn’t always make the best reads. He’ll have to continue making some bad reads first, which will frustrate fans, before he gets better at it.
Mamu showed some clairvoyance when Jalen Green attacked baseline, acting early while keeping an eye on Steven Adams. But Green’s decelerating floater was excellent, so Mamu’s quick reaction went in vain.
In that same game against the Houston Rockets, Mamu held Adams to two points in the four minutes and 45 seconds he was matched up with him. Mamu showed a lot of fight, even though he got wedged by Adams down low and was, at times, overpowered and outmaneuvered by him off the ball. That being said, matching up against Adams is a difficult test. There’s hope that Mamu got stronger in the off-season and will return from Eurobasket ready to bang when the season comes.
What remains much more certain is his offense. He has the handles to attack immobile bigs from the perimeter and in transition, and on a team that needs shooting, a stretch big being able to “wet ball” from deep remains exciting.
Pounding the Rock reported that Mamu hasn’t hit 3s when the game actually matters – shooting only 27 percent when the game was within 10 points, but 26 attempts is a tiny sample size.
He shot 37% from deep on 2.6 attempts per game (total 161 atttempts) last season. Most of them were catch-and-shoot 3s, and only 12 were pull-ups. According to Es Baraheni’s video above, Mamu popped or slipped 39 times out of his 62 PnR possessions where he was the roll man. He can make the textbook pick-and-pop 3 with ease, and in the Houston game, Mamu stretched the floor and gave Adams no chance at a close-out, at least twice. Better yet, Mamu can put the ball on the deck and attack if necessary.
Baraheni alluded to a world in which the Raptors throw on a double-big lineup with Mamu and Scottie/Jakob. The offensive options that open up with the two setting a double-drag screen for IQ as he attacks the basket, Scottie or Jakob diving, and Mamu popping could be really fun to watch.
He also seems to have been a locker room guy in Milwaukee and San Antonio. Good vibes are crucial, a lesson Toronto learned last season when high team morale united the team and set the foundation for 2025-26.
Mamu’s already been in two mid-market teams in entirely different scenarios – joining Milwaukee as a two-way right after their 2021 championship, and then being a part of San Antonio’s rebuild pre- and post-Wemby. He’ll be coming into a new environment where the expectation is to compete immediately.
Samson Folk alluded to Mamu’s two-year, $ 5.5 million deal as a “prove-it” contract. The Raptors got a player still with a lot of upside for cheap, so the possibility of Mamu proving he belongs in the league while a Raptor remains interesting to watch. It’s a movie we’ve all watched before.
