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What’s in store for year three of Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk?

Sarah Davis

Two years ago, Ukrainian native Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old freshman in Lawrence. He was said to be a player with a lot of potential and upside, but he has yet to fully develop into what we all thought he could be. Now, coming into his junior year, with the guard position being so stacked, he’s going to have to work extra hard to prove that he’s worthy of playing time in Bill Self’s system.

During his first year at Kansas, Mykhailiuk averaged just under three points per-game in 291 total minutes. He made 28% of his three-point attempts, and he had eight steals in 26 games. His season-high that year came against Michigan State and Lafayette, where he shot for 11 points in both games.

In his sophomore year, his numbers improved. He averaged over five points per game in 2015-16, and he shot over 40% from beyond the arc. Mykhailiuk’s per-40 numbers are very impressive, as he averaged upwards of 20 points per 40-minute stretch.. Last year’s best performance from him came in the first round of the NCAA tournament, where he put up 23 against 16th-seeded Austin Peay.

Mykhailiuk, who thought about leaving Kansas for the NBA after his second season, made the decision to stay and attempt to develop and get better. One guy who was happy about that was Bill Self. Self told The Kansas City Star, “It certainly takes some pressure off knowing that we couldn’t have recruited a better kid to come in our program right now than what we would with Svi being in our program. I’m excited about it. I really am. But I’m really more excited about it for him than for us, because I think he knows that he hasn’t been able to display his talent level consistently, and there’s been reasons for that, and we’ve also had some good players that were a little bit older and mature and things like that. I really feel like that he believes in his heart that next year will be the opportunity that will allow him to do that.”

Self went on to tell The Star that with Brannen Greene and Wayne Selden both gone, the “opportunity would be more prevalent” going forward.  

Whether he will get that opportunity remains to be seen, as Kansas freshman Josh Jackson, the nation’s No. 1 recuit, will very likely be getting a lot of playing time. In high school, Jackson was a McDonald’s All-American, averaging over 26 points per game. Svi Mykhailiuk will also be battling against Devonte’ Graham, Lagerald Vick, and Frank Mason III for playing time. Graham is set to have his biggest year, and he will most likely not be returning next year for his final season at KU next year. Mason and Jackson also won’t be back after the 2017 season ends, meaning that if Mykhailiuk opts to stick around for his senior year, he’d likely become the team’s starting shooting guard.

From the sounds of it, Mykhailiuk will be given a chance to showcase what he’s got, and it will be up to him to make the most of it. He’s got the size, speed, and ability, and he seems like a kid who is eager to learn and get better, which is such a rare find in sports these days. But with all of the talent that runs deep, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk certainly has his work cut out for him.

Prediction for Svi Mykhailiuk’s 2016-17 statline: 9.0 points and 17.5 minutes per game, shooting 42% on three-point baskets, all of which would be career-bests.

Sarah Davis contributes content weekly each Tuesday. View her archive, or follow her on Twitter.

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