Hornets' Kidd-Gilchrist says he wants to be best defender ever

MKG is not short on talent - or confidence. 

Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford recently said forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had the talent to become the best perimeter defender of his generation. The third-year Kentucky product is thinking a little bigger.

"I want to say (the  best) ever; not just in the league (now). The best defender this league has seen," Kidd-Gilchrist told Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. "It's baby steps. But when it's all said and done, I want people to say, 'That guy right there was the dog!' That’s all I want."

The 21-year-old has been a beacon in a Hornets season that's mostly come up short of expectations. While his defensive skills have always been in place, it's his offense that's been behind his rise.

Last year, Kidd-Gilchrist shot a paltry 28 percent on midrange jumpers, an unacceptable number for his position - on the floor, and in the 2012 draft (second overall). His overall field-goal percentage only looked fine because he took 61 percent of his shots from inside the restricted area.

This year, his midrange jumpers are up to a 43 percent success rate. That's been a further confidence-builder.

"When my shot started falling I just became more confident in myself both on and off the court," Kidd-Gilchrist said. "I'm just getting older and getting a lot better. Better and better and better."

Defense is still his bread and butter, and MKG has a fairly simple explanation for that - something the Bill Russells and Dennis Rodmans of the world would probably have agreed with.

"I don't like getting scored on. I take it personally. I hate getting scored on and I hate losing basketball games."