As a logjam of young lottery talent crowds Utah's rotation, a veteran marksman battles to prove his elite perimeter shooting remains vital for the rebuilding Jazz.
He might have a hard time getting anywhere close to that number again, and no ... that isn't necessarily because Mykhailiuk did anything wrong.
The 29-year-old appeared in 50 games last season, averaging 9.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 23.1 minutes per game. More importantly for what Utah asked him to do, he shot 40.8% from 3.
That's a pretty useful player to have around. It just doesn't make figuring out his role in 2026-27 any easier. "Situational sharpshooter" may be the best label for Mykhailiuk's role entering the season.
Utah's perimeter picture looks much different than it did a year ago.
The Jazz used the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on Darryn Peterson, adding another young guard to a group that already featured Keyonte George, Isaiah Collier, Ace Bailey, Cody Williams and Brice Sensabaugh.
There are only so many minutes to go around, and when Utah starts deciding who gets them, Mykhailiuk will be competing against players whose development matters quite a bit to where this franchise is trying to go.
That's where things get interesting.
Mykhailiuk isn't a developmental project anymore. He's 29 years old and entering his ninth NBA season, which means Utah doesn't need to spend another year figuring out what he might eventually become.
The Jazz know what he is ... and perhaps more importantly, they know what he can do.
Mykhailiuk attempted 4.8 3-pointers per game last season and made 2.0 of them. His 40.8% mark from behind the arc finished well above his 36.8% career mark entering 2026-27.
That's his path to the floor.
There will be nights when Utah needs another shooter, stretches when injuries create additional opportunities and matchups where putting another floor-spacer alongside the Jazz's young guards makes sense.
Mykhailiuk doesn't need to play 23 minutes every night to help this team. He also probably shouldn't expect to.
Starting 41 games made him a regular part of Will Hardy's rotation last season. Peterson is now entering the picture, and Utah has another year invested in figuring out what several of its younger perimeter players can become.
Those minutes have to come from somewhere.
That doesn't make Mykhailiuk expendable. It just makes his role a little more specific.
He's the guy Hardy can turn to when Utah needs shooting. Maybe that means 20 minutes one night and eight the next. Maybe an injury pushes him back into a larger role. And if he keeps shooting anywhere close to 40.8% from deep, perhaps he makes it harder for Hardy to take him off the floor.
That's why situational sharpshooter fits better than trying to pencil Mykhailiuk into a specific spot on the depth chart.
Utah doesn't need to spend another season figuring out what he might eventually become.
The Jazz already know.
Now they just have to figure out how often they need it.
