No, Svi Mykhailiuk is playing well in his second season with the Utah Jazz and that is not a problem for him. It’s certainly inspiring that after all these years of being a journeyman, he’s found a place in the NBA that could keep him in the league. However, the fact that they rely on him so much reflects poorly on the extent to which the Jazz’s youth movement has underperformed.
Mykhailiuk has played in all 23 Jazz games this season and his numbers aren’t bad. In 26 minutes per game, he averaged nine points while shooting 47.6% from the field and 37.2% from three. That’s solid for a starter. He may be usurped into the starting lineup when Georges Niang returns, but it’s fair to say Mykhailiuk has played well enough not to lose his spot in the rotation.
But his as much game as he has and being rounded at a perfect average level says a lot about the likes of Brice Sensabaugh, Cody Williams and Taylor Hendricks. The Jazz thought they would get something out of it, and while Hendricks has a better excuse than Williams and Sensabaugh, this was supposed to be about figuring out their niche.
The reason why the Jazz play Mykhailiuk is because they know what they will get out of him. He’s a wing with good size who can space the floor and isn’t that bad at creating his own shot. He was the bar for some of their young guys and they didn’t do that.
Perhaps this all indicates that it will simply take another year for any of these three to really show what they are made of, but Mykhailiuk, who is an average starter, should not be difficult for any of them to beat this season. As we inch closer to the NBA Trade Deadline, one question is worth bringing up.
Could Mykhailiuk enter the trade market?
Where the Jazz come from could determine what happens to Mykhailiuk. Because he has surpassed some of their young talent, combined with the fact that Utah is on the cusp of being terrible and average, what they decide to do with him could be indicative of how they view this season.
Mykhailiuk has played well on a not-good but not-bad team that a playoff contender could very well look to see if he’s worth a flier. It’s not like the Jazz would get incredible value for him, but other teams notice when veterans reward the teams that play them.
If the Jazz think they are better off developing their young talent instead of playing a veteran who they know can fill his role quite well, a Mykhailiuk trade could happen. He’s an NBA journeyman who has been dealt several times at the deadline, so he knows the process. What they do with him could indicate what their plans are for this season.
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