After torching opponents for 58 points in just 55 minutes, the sharpshooter rejoins Ukraine’s roster, proving his elite scoring extends far beyond a specialized role in Utah.
Svi Mykhailiuk didn't exactly leave much doubt about what he can do with the ball in his hands during the last FIBA World Cup qualifying window.
Fifty-eight points. Fifty-five minutes.
Now, the Utah Jazz veteran is expected to get another opportunity with Ukraine.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported Tuesday that Mykhailiuk "should" be among the NBA players participating in the upcoming World Cup qualifying window. FIBA also lists Mykhailiuk on Ukraine's preliminary roster for the window.
Mykhailiuk certainly made his case during the previous one.
The 29-year-old averaged 29.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists across two qualifiers in July. He scored 58 points in only 55 minutes — shooting 44.7% from the field, 50% from 3-point range and a perfect 13-of-13 from the free-throw line.
Mykhailiuk opened the window with 28 points, five rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks in Ukraine's 95-76 victory over Georgia on July 2.
Three days later … he somehow got even better.
Mykhailiuk scored 30 points in a 99-69 win over Denmark, adding four rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block while knocking down six of his 10 attempts from deep.
That production looks quite a bit different from Mykhailiuk's role in Utah.
He played 50 games and started 41 for the Jazz last season, averaging 9.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 23.1 minutes per game. Mykhailiuk shot 47.8% from the field and 40.8% from beyond the arc.
International basketball gives him the opportunity to do much more.
Mykhailiuk enters the upcoming window averaging 29.0 points per game in World Cup qualifying. He averaged 9.4 with Utah last season.
It's not an apples-to-apples comparison. The competition is different, the teammates are different and Mykhailiuk's role is completely different.
Still … 29 points per game is 29 points per game.
And July wasn't the end of his hot summer.
Mykhailiuk scored another 25 points in Ukraine's 84-82 exhibition victory over Latvia on Sunday, keeping his run going as the next round of qualifying approaches.
None of this means Utah should suddenly hand Mykhailiuk the keys to its offense when he returns. His job with the Jazz isn't the same as the one he has with Ukraine.
It does give Utah another encouraging look at a player who already shot better than 40% from three last season.
Give Mykhailiuk a much larger offensive role with Ukraine … and so far, he's done a whole lot more than just make shots.
