3-Ball & MKG: Hornets expect Kidd-Gilchrist to try corner 3s this season
First it was "going in a lot more."
Then it was officially a self-declared weapon.
Now, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's jumper could extend past the 3-point line.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 draft spent most of last offseason completely reworking a broken and woeful jump shot, and the returns in 2014-15 were encouraging. With his mid-range stroke coming along, the Hornets expect the defensive stopper to give corner threes a try this season, according to Zach Lowe of Grantland.
It's a worthwhile experiment, to be sure. It's difficult to play a wing, however talented in other areas, who can't shoot from outside. It can muck up a team's spacing, limit its lineup possibilities, and short of inverting the offense and shifting a power forward outside, stands to restrict an offense.
With the Hornets tight on spacing and Kidd-Gilchrist standing as perhaps their highest-upside player, asking him to work on the primary skill that could push his ceiling higher only makes sense.
It also shows a clear development plan over the past several seasons. They saw how his original jumper would play, they reworked the mechanics, they had him get comfortable inside the arc, and now they're testing his range. It's a logical progression.
"I told everyone in management this was going to be a process," assistant coach Mark Price, who began breaking down MKG's shot last May, said in October.
Shooting threes will be an almost entirely new thing for Kidd-Gilchrist, who has attempted 18 as a pro and took as many NBA 3-point attempts as you did last season. But even though his field-goal percentage was down – it dipped slightly from 47.3 percent to 46.5 percent – his shooting showed marked improvement.
| MK"J" | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 |
|---|---|---|---|
| FG% | 45.8% | 47.3% | 46.5% |
| 3FG | 2/9 | 1/9 | 0/0 |
| All Catch-and-Shoot | n/a | 26.5% | 36.5% |
| All Pullups | n/a | 37.5% | 40.7% |
| 10-16 feet | 14.3% | 15.4% | 50.0% |
| 16+ feet | 30.4% | 30.0% | 37.1% |
| "Open" or "Wide Open" 10+ feet | n/a | 32.1% | 40.8% |
These still aren't phenomenal numbers, but they're serviceable, and they're trending upward. Kidd-GIlchrist doesn't have to be a marksman to be an effective player, as his perimeter defense is elite, he's a great rebounder, and he works well off the ball.
Simply requiring attention outside the arc – or being able to make teams pay for ignoring him – would make it far easier for the Hornets to harvest the sizeable utility Kidd-Gilchrist provides in other areas.
Still 21, Kidd-Gilchrist averaged career-highs of 10.9 points and 7.6 rebounds last season, and the Hornets were a startling 12.2 points per-100 possessions better with him on the floor. Armed with better-shooting teammates to accompany him, and with Kidd-Gilchrist's jumper possibly progressing further, his impact on the game should continue to be profound.