The Boston Celtics defeated the Utah Jazz at home on Monday to extend their winning streak to five games and improve to 47-18 for the season. The matchup was also a homecoming for two former Celtics, Svi Mykhailiuk and Jaden Springer. While the latter didn't see the court, the former played 22 minutes and finished with eight points, four rebounds, and two assists.
Mykhailiuk also received his 2024 NBA championship ring on Monday. Before the game, he reminisced about his time with the Celtics. When asked about what he remembers the most about his Boston tenure, the 27-year-old shooting guard said "winning", per MassLive's Souichi Terada.
"Winning. A lot of winning. I feel like that’s the main memory. Just being part of the team, doing everything the right way. At least trying to do everything the right way, and togetherness of the team."Svi Mykhailiuk
The Ukrainian sharpshooter said that no one on the team really cares about his personal stats and everybody is playing together, making them a special group. As a result, the Celtics continue winning games.
Ever since joining the Utah Jazz in the 2024 offseason, winning has been hard to come by for Mykhailiuk. Utah is rebuilding and is currently at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 15-50 record. Mykhailiuk has a non-guaranteed contract with the Jazz for next season and whether the team will keep the veteran around remains to be seen.
Mykhailiuk was a deep bench option for the Celtics last season, appearing in 41 games in the regular season and averaging 4 points in 10.1 minutes per game. He saw the court in eight postseason games for the Celtics, en route to his first NBA championship.
Even though he plays a lot more minutes for the Jazz this season, he has struggled with his shot. With 38.8/34.0/79.2 shooting splits in 19.9 minutes per game, Mykhailiuk hasn't been making a strong case for himself to be a part of the team going forward.