NBA: Ranking all 30 starting small forwards for 2018-19

23. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte Hornets

It’s amazing to realize Michael Kidd-Gilchrist won’t turn 25 until late September, but after six underwhelming years in the league, it’s time for him to start contributing something on the offensive end. MKG is like Stanley Johnson three years from now, only if Johnson resigned himself to defeat from 3-point range and just stopped taking them altogether.

From injuries to fake hype about a reformed jump shot, Kidd-Gilchrist has disappointed as a former No. 2 overall pick, even if he’s a high-caliber, multi-positional defender on that end of the floor. Still, his contract extension is part of the Charlotte Hornets‘ ugly cap situation, and his lack of growth is part of their inability to improve internally.

Ten or twenty years ago, MKG would’ve thrived on gritty defensive teams like the Pistons or Indiana Pacers, but in the modern-day NBA, his skill-set is being phased out. With only one year and a 2019-20 player option remaining, time may be running out for Kidd-Gilchrist to and remove himself from a growing list of names being engraved on the trade block.