Los Angeles Lakers: Best candidates for 2018-19 NBA awards

Rookie of the Year: Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk

Former Kansas Jayhawks guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk took the NBA by storm with his play this past offseason in NBA Summer League.  He was selected as the 47th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft after having a breakout senior season that saw him put up 14.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per contest while shooting 44.4 percent from behind the arc.

Svi picked up where he left off in the summer, producing 16.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game as the Lakers’ Summer League squad made it all the way to the championship game in Las Vegas.

He shot 40.8 percent (20-of-49) from 3-point range while averaging 2.9 3-point makes on 7.0 attempts per contest. For his play, he was awarded All-Tournament Second Team honors by the end of Summer League.

He’ll be another rookie to watch on the Lakers’ roster after Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart took the stage last season. This season, it will be Svi’s opportunity to compete for the league’s Rookie of the Year award, even if he’s obviously a long shot. He’ll certainly be a boost to the team’s 3-point shooting, he’ll just need to show that he can defend as well.