With training camp underway for the Los Angeles Lakers, Svi Mykhailiuk has been performing well.
One of the things that the Los Angeles Lakers have been doing very well over the past few years is finding talent late in the NBA Draft.
In 2017, the Lakers were able to add Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart at the end of the first round. Both players have shown an ability to be potential starters for years to come in the NBA, and that is an excellent value that late in the draft.
This year, the Lakers used one of their two picks in the second round on Svi Mykhailiuk from Kansas. Svi was a four-year player at Kansas, and was a man that really improved from his freshman season to his senior season.
Since he came to Kansas at such a young age by college standards, he wasn’t ready to make an impact early on in his career. However, he certainly put in the work and got a lot better over his four years.
Recently, Svi’s new teammate, LeBron James, talked about his work ethic. Here’s what James had to say about Svi via SilverScreenAndRoll.com.
"“He’s great. He doesn’t say anything and he works his butt off,” James said of Mykhailiuk. “He comes in, puts in his work. He’s one of the first ones on the court, obviously because he has to be, he’s a rookie. He’s one of the last ones to leave the floor, obviously because he has to be because he’s a rookie. “But he can shoot the peel off the ball man, and that’s going to be very good for our ball club no matter if it’s to start the season or whatever. If he ever gets his number called, when he gets his number called, he’ll be ready because he loves to play the game.”"
As we saw in the Summer League, Svi can certainly shoot the basketball well. With shooting being somewhat of a weakness for the Lakers last season, drafting Svi made a lot of sense.
While he is known as a shooter, Svi is extremely athletic as well. Even though his wingspan isn’t great for his size, he competes on the defense with his good athleticism. While Svi likely won’t be in the rotation to start the season, he is certainly going to be prepared for when his moment comes.
With the NBA season being a long one, Svi will certainly get his chance this season. If the Lakers need a shooting spark off the bench, Svi’s number can certainly be called this season.