Charlotte Hornets: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist appears to be the odd man out

With the new additions that the Charlotte Hornets made this summer, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist may be on the outside looking in of the rotation this year.

Since being drafted back in 2012, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has started in almost every game for the Charlotte Hornets in which he’s been healthy. He’s made a total of 353 starts in 357 total games played for the team. Looking ahead to the 2018-19 season, there is a chance that he could not only lose his starting spot at small forward but also fall out of the rotation entirely.

The former No. 2 overall pick has never quite lived up to the hype but he’s still only 24-years old and has plenty of time left to grow. The only problem is that Michael hasn’t shown a lot of development over the past six seasons particularly in his jump shot. He still has the same broken jumper that he had coming into the NBA.

While the lack of development may be on the organization for not working with him correctly, some of the blame has to fall on the player. For example, Kemba Walker wasn’t anywhere near a prolific outside shooter coming into the league but has turned himself, with the help of the team, into a near 40% three-point shooter over seven years.

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It’s unclear what new head coach James Borrego’s plans are for MKG going forward. He was a staple in Steve Clifford’s starting lineup at small forward but Borrego looks to be changing up everything from the lineup to the tempo and style of play. Nicolas Batum tweeted earlier this summer that he was going to play small forward under the new regime.

So where does that leave Kidd-Gilchrist?

Looking at Charlotte’s wings, there is plenty of depth there. Jeremy Lamb, Nicolas Batum, Dwayne Bacon and Miles Bridges are all deserving of minutes but there just isn’t enough to go around.

Jeremy Lamb could start at shooting guard (with Malik Monk as the backup) for the Hornets while Nic Batum looks like a lock at the starting SF spot. It’s unclear if Bridges will be used as a small forward or a power forward but if he is used as a three, he will be the direct backup to Batum because the promising rookie needs to get minutes early on to help his development. If not, then Bacon and MKG could battle it out for that role and those minutes.

There is the off chance that he could take Marvin Williams‘ spot as the starting power forward if James Borrego wants to experiment with the lineup and use MKG at the four but that seems unlikely.

Michael could come off of the bench as Nic’s backup and make spot starts when needed. That seems like the more likely scenario but he could also backup Marvin Williams as a small-ball four off of the bench.

The bottom line is that it’s going to be hard to find minutes for everyone and if it comes down to either MKG or Dwayne Bacon, who is James Borrego going to go with? The veteran defensive menace with the broken shot or the young player who showed that he can knock down three’s?

I guess we’ll have to wait and see what the new head coach’s plans are and how his rotation is going to look before deciding what move is next but at this point in time, it doesn’t look like MKG will be in line for a significant role or ample minutes.

Next. Jeremy Lamb is the clear choice to start at SG. dark

While his hustle play and intense defense have always been appreciated, MKG has left a lot to be desired on the offensive end of the floor. With a new head coach, his time may finally be up in the Queen City. It may be best for both sides if the Charlotte Hornets could find a trade partner and move Kidd-Gilchrist to a contender where his skill set could be best utilized.

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