Former Kansas Jayhawks wing Svi Mykhailiuk signs to play for NBA’s Boston Celtics

Former Kansas men’s basketball small forward Svi Mykhailiuk has signed a contract to continue his NBA career with the Boston Celtics, the team announced Thursday.

Terms were not disclosed. ESPN.com indicated it was a one-year agreement.

The 6-foot-7, 205-pound, 26-year-old Mykhailiuk has played for Charlotte, New York, Detroit, Oklahoma City, Toronto and the Los Angeles Lakers during his five seasons in the league.

Mykhailiuk split time between the Hornets and Knicks last season. Playing in 32 games (eight starts), he averaged 6.9 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game while shooting a career-high 42.4% from 3.

The Cherkasy, Ukraine native has played in 252 career games (54 starts). He owns career averages of 6.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while hitting 40.3% of his shots.

Mykhailiuk — he played four seasons at KU (2014-18) — was selected with the 47th overall pick by the Lakers in the 2018 NBA Draft.

He appeared in 136 games (70 starts) with the Jayhawks, averaging 8.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists. Mykhailiuk set the KU single-season 3-point-field-goals-made record with 115 threes his senior season.

Mykhailiuk chose the Celtics’ offer over one tendered by Panathinaikos, a team in Greece.

“In recent weeks, the Celtics have been working out multiple wing talents. TJ Warren, Louis King, Glen Robinson III and Lamar Stevens have all reportedly had workouts with the team,” wrote Adam Taylor of celticsblog.com. “Yet, it would seem that Mykhailiuk’s perimeter scoring ability and off-ball movement have made him the better fit for Joe Mazzulla’s offensive system.

“Mykhailiuk will be the Celtics’ 14th man. The latest pick-up is unlikely to become a featured part of the rotation or a core member of the bench unit. Still, for a roster that is predicated on its ability to knock down open 3s, adding another knock-down shooter makes sense. Mykhailiuk may not be a star, but his shooting ability could see him make a difference in games where the regular rotation is cold from the perimeter,” Taylor added.

Chris Forsberg of Celtics Insider gave his take on the acquisition. He wrote: “The lingering question: Can Mykhailiuk crack the rotation on a Boston team with championship aspirations? The Celtics undoubtedly subscribe to the notion that you can never have too much shooting and Mykhailiuk will get every opportunity to show he can be a reliable option off the bench.

‘While his 3-point shot is what most will focus on — and with good reason as 63.2% of his career shot attempts have come beyond the arc — Mykhailiuk is a willing ballmover who sometimes can even be too unselfish. Playing alongside Boston’s established roster players should create plenty of quality looks. Mykhailiuk simply has to show more consistency than he’s displayed in six different stops during his NBA career.”

Forsberg continued: “Mykhailiuk certainly enjoyed playing against the Celtics. He shot 43.6% beyond the arc against Boston while averaging 10.4 points per game in 10 appearances. That had him knocking on the door for a spot among the Ish Smith All-Stars, or role players who irrationally torch the Celtics. Still, the 6-foot-7 forward can complement their core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis with his shooting, which is a good fit for the Celtics’ 3-point-heavy style of play.”

The fact Mykhailiuk considered playing in Greece shows he’s eager to carve out a spot in some team’s rotation.

“The bottom line is that Mykhailiuk hasn’t quite tapped into his full potential and the Celtics are banking that some of what he displayed at the end of last year will carry over,” wrote Forsberg. “For a 14th or 15th man, the Celtics have a young player with a specialty skill that they hope will be accentuated on a talent-filled team.”