Los Angeles Lakers: Can Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk crack the rotation?

With major depth on the wing, is there room for Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk to make an immediate impact during his rookie season with the Los Angeles Lakers?

For all of the new faces that joined the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason via free agency, one clear skill-set has been missing from their free agency overhaul that they addressed before the July began.

The Lakers, who finished 29th in 3-point percentage last year, selected one of the best shooters in the 2018 NBA Draft by taking Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk out of Kansas with the 47th overall pick. His shooting prowess is not in question, but will he able to carve out a role for a Lakers team that’s stacked on the wing?

For starters, the Lakers didn’t exactly bring in the strongest group of sharpshooters in free agency. Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson and Michael Beasley are solid creators and scorers, but none of them is known for his spot-up shooting. They have a combined two seasons of averaging 3.0 or more 3-point attempts per game for an entire season … in 30 total NBA seasons.

Signing non-shooters was a questionable strategy, but it points to Magic Johnson’s idea of countering the general consensus of NBA teams to try and outgun the Golden State Warriors, getting defensive-minded, experienced players to try and rough up the Dubs through physical play on both ends.

Rondo and Stephenson fit that style perfectly, but with the Lakers needing to spread the floor to optimize driving space for LeBron and Brandon Ingram, there could be an avenue for Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and his 44.4 3-point percentage on 7.7 attempts per game last season to find a way onto the floor. Svi has more to his game than shooting, with a decent feel to navigate opponents closing out on him and either create for himself or find an open teammate. Still, that 3-point stroke will be his best chance of getting playing time.

Svi had little trouble adapting to the NBA 3-point line at NBA Summer League, knocking down 40.8 percent of his 49 attempts from deep in Las Vegas. At 6’8”, he can shoot over most NBA guards and has the size to play 1-3, which helps him fit in seamlessly with the Lakers’ large backcourt that can also rotate easily through the wing positions.

Those shooting clips came while sharing the court with one player (Josh Hart) that figures to be in the Lakers’ rotation, and they were without the four primary playmakers that should handle most of the distribution responsibilities (LeBron, Rondo, Ingram and Lonzo Ball). Add in legit creators with NBA spacing and Svi could replicate that 40 percent long range efficiency with plenty of open looks.

He’s also a perfect fit for what the Lakers are trying to build. They want players that space the floor and can run up and down the court to maintain a fast tempo. Svi played in three guard lineups at Kansas, which was one of the most 3-point-heavy, up-tempo teams in college. He has experience getting his shot off without seeing much of the ball from his time at Kansas, which bodes well for a nice transition to the NBA.

The main area of concern will be his defensive ability. The guys he’s fighting for playing time with all have a significant edge on him in that department, with the likes of Hart, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Stephenson all better on the defensive side of the floor. Being isolated on today’s NBA guards could put a cap on how much playing time Svi actually receives.

But we have seen players like Mykhailiuk thrive alongside LeBron before, and there will be times when the extra spacing he provides is needed. Having a player to run off screens and make contested shots for quick buckets is never a bad thing, and it’s not like he is awful defensively.

It may not happen right away, but there will be games when Svi gets an extended run in a game or two. If that shot is falling, the Lakers’ offense will open up tremendously. It’s not often a rookie walks into training camp as a team’s best shooter, but Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk will and he could unlock another dimension of this offense if given consistent playing time.