Tom Keegan: Teammates pushing for playing time can rev Svi’s motor

By Tom Keegan     May 25, 2017

Nick Krug
Kansas guard Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk (10) is pictured on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016 at Allen Fieldhouse.

For three seasons, I have watched nearly every minute Svi Mykhaliuk has played for Kansas, and still I couldn’t figure it out: Does he play with less energy than most of his teammates or is he just not as quick?

Probably a little of both.

This season, more than any of the previous three, will supply the answer to the first question because a couple of factors will contribute to the urgency factor that seemed to be lacking at times.

First, he’s a senior and this is his last chance against college competition to leave NBA scouts with a better impression of him than they must have had during an evaluation camp at which he could not have shot much better.

Obviously, they want to see more than a sweet jumper. They want to see an athlete. They want to see a louder motor. They want to believe he can do all of the things necessary to do to get himself in a position to take advantage of his stroke.

They didn’t see it or they would have told him to stay in the draft. They didn’t.

And surely, they want to see Svi play better defense than he did for the Jayhawks last season. It became increasingly common to see teams isolate the man Svi guarded, get him the ball and watch him attack the basket.

When that happened, again, I found myself wondering: Is there an energy deficit or is he just slow?

If it’s more the first than the last, another factor aside from his senior status could amount to smelling salts under his nostrils.

Competition for playing time, especially once the second semester arrives, ought to reveal just how much energy, how much quickness Svi can squeeze out of his 6-foot-8, 205-pound body.

That competition has a name: Sam Cunliffe.

The last finals take place Dec. 15. Kansas plays at Nebraska Dec. 16. As long as Cunliffe’s grades have been calculated in a favorable way by tipoff, he will suit up ready to play against the Cornhuskers.

By that time, Svi either will have retained a starting spot or will be the sixth man, beaten out by Lagerald Vick. Either way, Svi will play plenty the first semester.

But once Cunliffe gets comfortable in a Kansas uniform after a full year in the program, things could get interesting if Svi isn’t defending better, playing with a greater sense of urgency.

“He’s really, really athletic, really athletic, good shooter, doesn’t really know how to play yet without the ball,” was how Kansas coach Bill Self described Cunliffe after the annual banquet.

Competing for playing time could bring out the best in Svi, Vick and Cunliffe.

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