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With their final selection in the 2018 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers have used the No. 47 pick on Sviatoslav Myhkailiuk out of Kansas.
Better known as Svi, Myhkailiuk averaged a shade under 15 points per game and did so while knocking down a whopping 44% from three on more than six attempts per game. Mykhailiuk also set the single-season three-pointers made record at Kansas, and measured in at the combine at 6’8” with a 6’5” wingspan.
What may have set him apart is that according to our own Pete Zayas, Myhkailiuk, also known as “Svi,” had quite the workout at the UCLA Training Center in El Segundo earlier this month:
Anfernee Simons shot (and moved) really well at the end of his workout with the Lakers. 6'4" is probably generous and he's still built like a teenager (turns 19 on Thursday), but he's very talented.
— Laker Film Room (@LakerFilmRoom) June 5, 2018
Heard that Svi Mykhailiuk had a tremendous workout today as well.
Svi Mykhailiuk killed it in his Lakers workout, I'm sure they're thrilled to get him at #47. I wrote about him in part two of my draft preview for @TheAthleticLA. https://t.co/st28TvLoGO
— Laker Film Room (@LakerFilmRoom) June 22, 2018
The Lakers were so impressed, in fact, that they didn’t expect him to be available:
Someone the Lakers didn't expect to be available here. They like his shooting ability, which is a big need. https://t.co/OZDQoN9nM5
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) June 22, 2018
The biggest attraction for Svi is his shooting, however, beyond that, it’s unclear what the Lakers saw in the four-year senior that they didn’t see in other highly touted NCAA prospects like Keita Bates-Diop or Chimeze Metu, two players that also worked out for the Lakers.
Svi is more likely to play for the team this season than Isaac Bonga, who the Lakers took with the No. 39 pick, but his role isn’t projected to be a big one. Expect him to spend most of his season with the South Bay Lakers, if not overseas. If he does get on the floor in L.A., however, he at least will address their shooting deficit from last season.
This post will update with more information. For live pick-by-pick results from the 2018 NBA Draft, check out our an updating draft tracker here.