Los Angeles Lakers: Low-risk, high-reward NBA Draft targets at No. 47

Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, SG/SF — Kansas

If there’s one thing the Lakers desperately need to improve on this offseason, it’s their 3-point shooting. Last season, they connected on a miserable 34.5 percent of shots from beyond the arc, good for the second-worst percentage ahead of only the Phoenix Suns.

Although their long range shooting improved as the season went along, the pending loss of Kentavius Caldwell-Pope isn’t going to help. That’s why targeting a shooting specialist like Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk in the second round makes plenty of sense.

One of the more tantalizing 3-point sharpshooters of the 2018 class, Mykhailiuk was outstanding from deep in 2017-18. The Kansas product connected on 44.4 percent of his 3-pointers, helping him put up an impressive 14.6 points per game. Put simply, he’s got the efficiency from outside to earn an instant role off the bench as a rookie.

https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1004078877583372288

The problem is that Mykhailiuk isn’t a great defender. In fact, his defensive rating got worse each of his last two seasons with the Jayhawks (via Sports-reference.com). Despite his impressive size for a 2-guard (6’8″, 220 pounds), he struggled to rack up blocks or steals in college. It doesn’t help that he isn’t a great athlete, leading to him being labelled a shooting specialist.

Still, I like his potential at the next level. He’s been mentioned as a poor man’s Klay Thompson, which isn’t the worst comparison if his defense can improve. Either way, with their need for shooting and an affinity for experienced prospects, the Lakers must see Mykhailiuk as a match.