Los Angeles Lakers: 3 reasons Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk was a good pick
3. Shooters gonna shoot
The modern NBA puts a higher value on spacing the floor than at any other point in league history, and that means each team needs players who can hit the outside shot with consistency. Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk showed over his four seasons at Kansas that his best role at the NBA level will be taking as many shots as possible from beyond the arc.
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For his career, Mykhailiuk hit 40.9 percent of his 3-pointers, and last season shot 44.4 percent on a high volume of attempts. His 115 made 3-pointers ranked 10th in the country, and his accuracy ranked 12th. To highlight just how unique his combination of volume and efficiency were, Mykhailiuk is the only player to rank in the top-15 in both made 3-pointers and 3-point shooting percentage.
The reason Mykhailiuk can rack up so many 3-pointers is that he takes well over half of his shots from deep. The young wing found his niche and he embraced it. In each season, he took more 3-pointers than 2-pointers and made more 3-pointers than 2-pointers. Last season, he even shot better from beyond the arc than he did inside. For his entire college career he took 58.7 percent of his shots from distance.
The Los Angeles Lakers have players who can create with the basketball, and players who can attack the rim. They have players who will want to pull up from mid-range, or throw up floaters, or probe a defense from outside. What they — and much of the league — need are players who will run off screens, catch the basketball beyond the arc and fire. That is a role Svi Mykhailiuk can thrive in.