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Charlotte Hornets: Grading The Offseason

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 12, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15), center Bismack Biyombo (8), and forward Noah Vonleh (11) walk toward the bench during the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 12, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15), center Bismack Biyombo (8), and forward Noah Vonleh (11) walk toward the bench during the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Charlotte Hornets
Mar 25, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (14) in a time out during the second half of the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Time Warner Cable Arena. Nets win 91-88. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports /

Re-Signing MKG

Like the recently announced Jonas Valanciunas deal, signing a one-sided player like Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to a sizable extension seems like a mistake with the framework of the old NBA salary cap in mind. But with the salary cap skyrocketing, signing MKG to a four-year, $52 million extension (which kicks in for the 2016-17 season) is actually a pretty significant bargain considering his youth, defensive prowess and room for growth.

As of right now, Kidd-Gilchrist is a limited offensive player. More specifically, even with the “new and improved” release on his jump shot last year, the guy still can’t spread the floor. Per NBA.com, he made just 53 of his 143 midrange attempts (37.1 percent) and nearly two-thirds of his shot attempts came from inside the paint. In fact, he didn’t even attempt a three-pointer last season.

Charlotte Hornets
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s 2014-15 shot chart, per NBA.com. /

Last year, MKG averaged 10.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game while shooting a respectable 46.5 percent from the floor. But he took a very limited number of shots on a nightly basis. For all his intelligence, incessant cutting and unstoppable motor, there’s only so much he can do on offense without a serviceable jump shot, especially as the league heads further into this small-ball era that relies so heavily on three-point shooting.

That being said, Kidd-Gilchrist is only 21 years old and he’s already an elite wing defender. Per Sports Illustrated’s Ben Golliver, the Hornets posted an impressive 96.3 defensive rating with MKG on the court, but that number swelled to 104.1 with him on the bench. That’s a MASSIVE difference of 7.8 points per 100 possessions.

Kidd-Gilchrist has two things he needs to accomplish to make this extension a steal: improve his jump shot to round out his game, and stay healthy. His balls-to-the-wall approach is what you like to see in an elite defender, but it’s also cost him 27 games in 2014-15 and 20 games the season before. In any case, kudos to the Hornets for locking him now and avoiding an inevitable max extension next summer.

Grade: A-

Next: Overall

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