No, Svi Mykhailiuk playing well in his second season with the Utah Jazz isn’t problematic on his part. If anything, it’s inspirational that after being a journeyman for all these years, he’s found a niche in the NBA that could keep him in the league. However, the fact that they’re relying on him as much as they have reflects badly on how much the Jazz’s youth movement has underperformed.

Mykhailiuk has started in all 23 Jazz games this season, and his numbers aren’t bad. In 26 minutes a game, he averaged nine points while shooting 47.6% from the field and 37.2% from three. That’s solid for a starter. He might get usurped in the starting lineup when Georges Niang comes back, but it’s fair to say Mykhailiuk has played well enough that he shouldn’t lose his spot in the rotation.

But his playing as much as he has and rounding out at perfectly average says a lot about the likes of Brice Sensabaugh, Cody Williams, and Taylor Hendricks. The Jazz thought they were going to get something out of them, and while Hendricks has a better excuse than Williams and Sensabaugh do, this was supposed to be about them figuring out their niche.

The reason why the Jazz play Mykhailiuk is because they know what they will get out of him. He’s a wing with good size that can space the floor and isn’t too bad at creating his own shot. He was the bar for some of their young guys and they haven’t done it.

Now, maybe this all indicates that it simply will take another year for any of those three to really show what they are made out of, but Mykhailiuk being an average starter shouldn’t have been hard for any of them to beat this season. Now that we are inching closer to the NBA Trade Deadline, one question is worth bringing up.

Could Mykhailiuk hit the trade market?

Where the Jazz go from here could determine what happens with Mykhailiuk. Because he has outshined some of their young talent, combined with Utah being right at the midpoint of being terrible and average, what they decide to do with him could indicate how they see this season.

Mykhailiuk has played well on a not-good but not-bad team that a playoff contender may very well look into if he is worth a flyer. It’s not like the Jazz would get incredible value for him, but other teams notice when veterans reward the teams that play them.

If the Jazz think they are better off developing their young talent instead of playing a veteran who they know can do his role decently well, a Mykhailiuk trade could happen. He is an NBA journeyman who has been dealt multiple times at the deadline, so he knows the drill. What they do with him could indicate what their plans are for this season.