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The New York Knicks signed sharpshooter Svi Mykhailiuk to a contract on September 18, and while he might not see a ton of playing time with the team next season, he can really shoot the ball.
Mykhailiuk has bounced around between the Lakers, Pistons and Raptors throughout his career, and his best seasons came in Detroit when he got consistent playing time.
He appeared in 56 games with the Raptors last season and averaged 4.6 points per game, so he’ll be hoping for more minutes in New York so he can rebuild some value.
For what it’s worth, Mykhailiuk’s former coach Norm Roberts believes he’ll be a good pick up for the Knicks.
Big Things Coming
Roberts, an assistant with the Kansas Jayhawks since 2012, worked with Mykhailiuk through his four years there, so he knows a thing or two about his skillset.
“Shoot, he’s going to be good for them,” Roberts told Forbes. “He can shoot the [heck] out of the ball, he’s more athletic than you think.”
Teams across the NBA can use more shooting, so it makes sense that the sharpshooter would find a team to latch onto, but he’s never been able to find a long-term home. Roberts still hyped up the signing, but that alone won’t be enough to get him playing time.
“He’s got deep, deep range and he’s got a very, very quick release,” Roberts continued. “He can do more than just shoot because he can do some things off the bounce playing off his shot-fake. I think he’s a really, really good player. That’s a great pickup for them because if they need shooting, he can definitely supply that.”
The biggest issue for Mykhailiuk now will be finding a way to get minutes. With Cam Reddish struggling to find minutes on the team, being a player who the Knicks gave up a first rounder to get, it doesn’t bode well for Mykhailiuk.
Possessing a strong three-point shot is definitely a good selling point for him, but it might not be enough for minutes unless the Knicks make a move before the start of the season.
Will There Be a Trade?
On the roster, there seems to be two candidates for a trade and that’s Evan Fournier and Julius Randle. Both players have large contracts, but they aren’t completely devoid of talent.
Randle isn’t that far removed from making an All-Star team, so he might be able to find that form again. As for Fournier, he might be better suited coming off the bench, but his bigger contract makes that a difficult option.
If the Knicks don’t trade him, they still might find themselves starting Quentin Grimes over Fournier as the season goes on. It’s a move that fans have talking about, and with a strong Summer League showing for Grimes, a good start to the season might be all that’s needed for coach Tom Thibodeau to make the swap.
Thibs was slow to make rotation changes last season, and it played a big part in the team’s struggles, so fans will be hoping he doesn’t do the same thing this year.
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