Lakers' Magic Johnson took notice of Svi Mykhailiuk's defense in NCAA Tournament

Early riser Magic Johnson, the Los Angeles Lakers’ president of basketball operations, was so moved watching a replay of the March 25 Elite Eight game between Kansas and Duke that he made a 5 a.m. phone call to his general manager, Rob Pelinka.

Hall of Famer Johnson, who studies a lot of film of potential draft picks, cited the success 6-foot-8 Svi Mykhailiuk had in guarding 6-10 Marvin Bagley.

KU's Mykhailiuk — selected No. 47 overall by the Lakers in Thursday’s NBA Draft — scored 11 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished five assists, while Bagley, selected second overall by the Sacramento Kings, scored 16 points (5-of-9 shooting) with 10 boards in the Jayhawks' 85-81 overtime victory over the Blue Devils.

“I remember Svi was guarding the other team’s best player,” Pelinka said Tuesday at a news conference introducing the Lakers' two picks in the 2018 Draft (Svi, Moe Wagner) to the L.A. media. “Magic said, ‘That showed me a lot about his toughness, his mentality.’ He saw that in that game with Svi. Our scouting department saw it as well.”

Johnson — he said the Lakers have had their eye on Mykhailiuk since interviewing him at the NBA Combine after his junior season — was optimistic when asked about possible minutes for Wagner and Mykhailiuk during the 2018-19 season.

“Coach (Luke) Walton handles playing time. I selected them to play,” Johnson said.

Walton gave no guarantees.

“We’re big on competition here,” Walton said, adding, “We love these two draft picks. We value versatility, skill, intelligence. They fit what we’re doing. As far as playing time, that’s earned in the preseason, by the way you work — the way you play with your teammates. It will be determined when the season rolls around.”

Mykhailiuk at his introductory news conference said he and Wagner (selected 25th overall out of Michigan) were thrilled to join the storied NBA franchise.

“I think both of us knew a lot about the Lakers. It’s a great franchise with great history, great tradition,” Mykhailiuk said. “Being here is a great honor for us, just being with the Lakers, being part of the NBA.”

Johnson said the Lakers need the outside shooting both Mykhailiuk and Wagner can provide.

“You have to have good form to make shots,” Mykhailiuk, KU’s all-time single-season three-point leader, said. “You’ve got to believe in yourself, see the ball go in the hole and work out a lot.””

Robinson won’t return to Khimki

Former Kansas forward Thomas Robinson will not play a second season with Khimki Moscow, the team has announced.

Robinson, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound, 27-year-old native of Washington, D.C., averaged 8.5 points and 5.7 rebounds a game in 28 games during an injury-plagued 2017-18 season.

He was averaging 11.4 points and 7.7 rebounds a game through nine games when he suffered a broken hand that kept him out for three months.

“Everybody at BC Khimki thanks Thomas for his contribution and wishes him the best of luck for the future!” the team wrote on Twitter.

Robinson, the overall No. 5 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft (by Sacramento), played for six NBA teams in five seasons with career averages of 4.9 points and 4.8 rebounds a game. He averaged 5.0 points and 4.6 boards for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2016-17.

This story was originally published June 27, 2018 at 11:00 AM.