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This is part two of a five part series, highlighting the Lakers Shooting Guards for the 2018-19 season. We’ll discuss their projected roles, recent achievements, and injury risks. Many players on the Lakers roster are capable of playing multiple positions, so we’re probably going to see many different lineup combinations while Luke fine tunes the rotation.

We might even see a lot of Brandon Ingram or Lance Stephenson at SG, but we’ve kept them in the SF section for now. Isaac Bonga is included, even though he may end up playing a different position. At only 18 years old and 6’10”, his body is still growing and his game is still developing. We have him listed here because he has the attributes of a solid wing defender.

Kentavious
Photo Credit: Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope  #1

  • Projected Role: Potential Starting Shooting Guard, competing with Josh Hart
  • Salary this season: $12M on a 1-year contract
  • 25 years old, this will be his 6th NBA season and 2nd with the Lakers


Career Highs

  • 38 points vs Pelicans (2016-17, Pistons)
  • 14 rebounds vs Hawks (2017-18, Lakers)
  • 10 assists vs Clippers (2016-17, Pistons)
  • 8 three pointers vs Pelicans (2017-18, Lakers)

2017-18 (Lakers)

  • Averages: 13.4 points / 5.2 rebounds / 2.2 assists / 42% FG / 79% FT

Injuries

  • KCP is durable. In his previous 5 seasons, he’s played 80, 82, 76, 76, and 74 games. He suffered a shoulder sprain at the end of each of the last two seasons, so there’s always the possibility it could reoccur again at some point.
Hart
Photo Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn / USA TODAY Sports

Josh Hart  #3  (SG/SF)

  • Projected Role: Potential Starting Shooting Guard, competing with KCP
  • Salary this season: $1.65M, with 2 years remaining after this season
  • 23 years old
  • Wore #5 in his rookie season but is going back to his Villanova #3 this year
  • Plays Fortnite on PS4, and frequently streams his games


2017-18 (Lakers)

  • Drafted 30th overall and acquired by the Lakers in a draft night trade with the Jazz
  • Helped the Lakers win the Summer League championship
  • Led the team in 3 point percentage during the regular season at 39.6%
  • Scored 30 points against the Clippers, shooting 7 of 9 from three
  • Recorded 8 double-doubles

2018-19 (Lakers)

  • Named Summer League MVP
  • Led the Lakers to the SL championship game, where they fell to the Blazers
  • Spent the off-season working on his handles and shooting. This has helped him become more versatile, allowing him to play SG in addition to SF

Injuries

  • His only notable injury was a fractured hand suffered during practice last season. This isn’t the type of injury that should resurface in the future, so his health isn’t a concern.
Svi
Photo Credit: Rohan Ali / Los Angeles Lakers

Sviatoslav “Svi” Mykhailiuk  #10  (SG/SF)

  • Projected Role: Playing with the second unit as a scorer. In the past he’s played a lot of SF, but due to the Lakers depth at forward he’s going to have to adjust to SG. He might also see some action on the G League squad where he can log significantly more minutes while he continues to develop
  • Salary this season: $1.5M, with 2 years remaining after this season
  • 21 years old, originally from Ukraine 
  • Drafted 47th overall by the Lakers in this year’s draft


Ukrainian National Team Highlights

  • 2013 – Played with the Ukrainian Under-16 Junior National Team in the FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship, where he made the All-Tournament team
  • 2014 – Played with the Ukrainian Men’s Senior National Team in the FIBA Basketball World Cup
  • 2016 – Played with the Ukrainian Under-20 Junior National Team in the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, where he lead his team in scoring

College Highlights

  • Played 4 years for the Kansas Jayhawks
  • 2014 – Youngest player in Big-12 Conference history at 17 years old
  • 2017-18 – Set a single-season school record for made threes with 115
  • 2017-18 – Named to the All-Big 12 Second Team

Injuries

  • Svi has no notable injury history.
Bonga
Photo Credit: Ty Nowell / Los Angeles Lakers

Isaac Bonga  #17  (PG/SG/SF)

  • Projected Role: G League prospect. Bonga is still expanding his game, but he’s been described as a point forward with exceptional length, which could translate to being a great wing defender and playmaker, which is exactly what the Lakers were looking for this off-season
  • 18 years old(!!), born in Germany to parents originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Drafted 39th overall by the 76ers in this year’s draft on behalf of the Lakers in a prearranged trade


German National Team Highlights

  • 2014 and 2015 – Played with the German Under-16 Junior National Team in the FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship
  • 2017 – Played with the German Under-19 Junior National Team in the FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup
  • 2018 – Played with the German Men’s Senior National Team in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers 

Injuries

  • Like Svi, Bonga is a young rookie with no injury history.

Keep an eye out for Part 3: Small Forwards – featuring Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Lance Stephenson, and Luol Deng. We have LeBron in the Power Forwards group due to the Lakers depth at Small Forward.

Contact Ryan Ramsey on Twitter @DoubleR818

Top Background Photo Credit: Isaiah J. Downing / USA TODAY Sports

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