Former KU wing Svi Mykhailiuk producing 19.0 ppg for Team Ukraine at EuroBasket event
Former University of Kansas men’s basketball shooting guard Svi Mykhailiuk, who recently was released by the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, figures to entertain some free agent offers following the EuroBasket 2022 championships this month in Milan, Italy.
The 25-year-old Mykhailiuk has been putting up big numbers for Ukraine’s national team in the tournament.
Mykhailiuk, 6-foot-8 from Cherkasy, Ukraine, scored a game-high 25 points on 9-of-18 shooting with four rebounds and three assists in Ukraine’s 84-73 win over Italy on Monday. Ukraine improved to 3-0 record in the tourney and secured a spot in the event’s quarterfinals.
After qualifying for the single-elimination round, Ukraine suffered its first loss in Group C Tuesday, a 99-79 decision to Greece. NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks scored 41 points with nine rebounds for the victors. Mykhailiuk scored 16 points on 6-of-17 shooting. He was 1-of-5 from three with four rebounds, zero assists and two turnovers.
Mykhailiuk through four games has averaged 19.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He’s made 45% of his shots including 40.7% from three (11-of-27). He has 10 assists, six turnovers and nine steals. The tourney runs until Sept. 18 with NBA camps opening the following week.
The improved three-point shooting numbers come at a good time for Mykhailiuk. He shot a career-low 30.6% from three last season in 56 games for the Toronto Raptors. Overall he averaged 4.6 points a game in limited duty.
Mykhailiuk, a second-round pick of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2018 NBA Draft, who has played for four teams (Lakers, Detroit Pistons, OKC Thunder, Toronto) in his first four years in the league, will be paid this season even if he doesn’t sign with an NBA team. He exercised his $1.9 million player option with the Raptors in June.
Frank Mason III scores 12 points for USA
Former Kansas guard Frank Mason III scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting and dished four assists against three turnovers in Team USA’s 101-49 rout of Venezuela on Tuesday at the FIBA AmeriCup in Brazil.
The 28-year-old Mason, who is an NBA free agent, was 2-of-2 from three.
Tuesday’s contest was a resumption of a game that originally started on Sunday but was postponed because of a leak in the roof of the arena. The game resumed at the start of the second half with Team USA leading, 48-21.
Team USA went 2-1 in Group C as did Venezuela and Mexico. Based on a tiebreaker, the USA finished on top of the group followed by Mexico and Venezuela. The tourney continues with the quarterfinals Thursday.
Josh Jackson signs with Toronto
Former KU guard Josh Jackson has signed a one-year contract with the Toronto Raptors, the team reported last week. The non-guaranteed deal is worth $2.13 million according to HoopsHype.com.
The 6-8, 205-pound, 25-year-old Jackson averaged 6.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 16.3 minutes in 51 games (three starts) last season with Detroit and Sacramento. He hit 40% of his shots including 25.4% of his threes (33-of-130). He scored in double figures 13 times. He had a season-best 24 points in a game at Milwaukee. He was 5-of-7 from three in that game.
Jackson was picked fourth overall (by Phoenix) in the 2017 NBA Draft. He has averaged 11.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 23.1 minutes in 291 games (92 starts) with Phoenix, Memphis, Detroit and Sacramento.
“Jackson still has the bounce that made him a top recruit and a high draft selection,” wrote Mike Luciano of raptorsrapture.com. “While he’s not the greatest defender in the world, he’s much better than he was as a rookie. If given a long enough leash, he’s shown that he can pile up the points at a respectable clip.
“The Raptors have more experienced non-guaranteed players floating around the roster, but the addition of Jackson could throw some of their plans out of whack. Jackson might not be the shooter that some of the other roster hopefuls are, but he has multiple double-digit scoring seasons under his belt to go along with his hops,” Luciano added.
This story was originally published September 6, 2022 at 8:26 PM with the headline "Former KU wing Svi Mykhailiuk producing 19.0 ppg for Team Ukraine at EuroBasket event."
