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Pretty exciting news. He's a 6'6" SG from Ukraine that can shoot lights out and is a great athlete. He has a very advanced skillset for a 16 year old and I'm glad he'll get some exposure.
Here's an in-depth look at his performance at U16 last season written by Kostas Psimoulis.
BODY/ATHLETICISM: Mikhailiuk possesses all the necessary physical tools to be considered a modern wing player. He stands around 2 meters while having a solid wingspan. Strong and athletic as he is, he dominated his peers not only using his skills but also with his great physical tools. He is extremely quick with or without the ball, has good lateral quickness and a solid vertical jump. Athletic-wise he was among the Top-3 athletes of the U16 Tournament.
SHOOTING: Mikhailiuk showed at the European Tournament that his shot could be his best weapon for years to come. He possesses a nice shooting form, releasing the ball high enough and holding his follow through. His great footwork helps him shoot the ball extremely quick while helping his elevation as well. He can shoot the ball almost from every spot while being smart enough to adjust his shot depending on the shooting type, the opponent and the way defense plays him. He likes to shoot after a few hard dribbles moving from either hand, loves the step-back jumper while posting-up a defender, also he’s adept enough to fake a shot forcing the defender to lose his balance. When in rhythm he looks unstoppable. He showed that he can create his own shot against any type of defense; actually, Mikhailiuk faced as hard a defensive pressure as you could find in tournaments like that. Almost every team tried to deny him the ball, overplaying every angle, trapping and double teaming him every time he got the ball.
POSITION OFFENSE: By all means Mikhailiuk is an excellent scorer. He can create his own shot at will, attacks the basket extremely hard and gets to the free-throw line at high rates. He showed that he’s a capable passer when he wants to, possessing good vision, and it’d be interesting how he’s going to perform on a better team. He is really hard to stop every time he turns the corner and gets to the lane; he ranked among the top players at fouls drawn and free throws attempted per game at the U16.One of the best weapon he possesses is his dribbling ability; he is comfortable with both hands, changing directions with his dribble quickly. He gets extremely low to the ground on drives and that gives him the chance to surpass his match-up, and even the second help defender. He showed the ability to split defenders while trapped on ball screen actions or in the half court. Last but not least, he showed great of the ball movement using a fair amount of pin down screens; his quickness and the ability to catch and release quickly making him a player hard to play against when moving off of screens.
DEFENSE/REBOUNDING: His size, length and athleticism are helping him on the defensive end and it’s pretty certain that he will make a good use of it against higher level of competition. He anticipates passes well enough and, using his long arms, gets into passing lanes. One of the best players in steals and rebounds among all players of the tournament. He gets down in a stance and does a good job getting off his man and making plays. Given the amount of energy he was spending on the offensive end, he did a good job defensively.
MISCELLANEOUS: There are a few negatives to elaborate on for his recent performances. He was a little bit overaggressive, took many low percentage shots and showed a knack for over dribbling. However, those are common things among talented players who play on mediocre teams; he tried to lead his team thus he forced thing at times. His usage rate was through the roof throughout the tournament (33.3 %), and it remains to be seen if he can adapt into a limited role while getting less touches.
Source: http://www.eurohopes.com/player/1741/s-mikhayliuk/
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYU7cDI2SYE&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DdYU7cDI2SYE&nomobile=1[/youtube]
