Charlotte Hornets 2018-19 Season Grades: MKG’s toughest year yet

It is fair to say that the 2018-19 season was the worst season of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s career as a member of the Charlotte Hornets.

Entering the league as a skinny 19 year old, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist instantly played a huge role for the Charlotte Hornets.

Prior to the 2018-19 season, Kidd-Gilchrist had started in all but one game during his career. Things changed this season, though, as MKG found himself on the bench quite a lot, dealing with DNP-CD’s and injuries.

On the season, Kidd-Gilchrist averaged 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds in just 18.4 minutes. He played in 64 games, and was getting inconsistent minutes all season long. He also dealt with an ankle injury, a knee injury, a concussion and personal problems.

Still, despite his inconsistent playing time this season, Kidd-Gilchrist is a valuable player at times thanks to his great defensive instincts. That’s the one part of his game that will always earn him minutes.

He’s worked hard on his jump shot over the years, and even shot 34 percent from three-point range this season (only 47 attempts), but he’ll probably never be a consistent threat from the perimeter.

Despite his offensive limitations, I do believe that MKG should have been a bigger part of the Charlotte Hornets rotation this season. For a team that struggled quite a lot with guarding in general, Kidd-Gilchrist is a defensive specialist and just seemed to be off the floor during head-scratching moments.

But, here we are, MKG’s value is arguably at its lowest point and it’s hard to envision him in their future plans. However, he’s still just 25 years old, which is nuts, because it feels like he’s been in the league forever.

Let’s get into this and grade Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s 2018-19 regular season.

So, a C+ for Kidd-Gilchrist. He definitely had some good moments during the season, but overall, it was a rough season for him, and I would imagine the toughest season for him mentally.

He scored a season-high 16 points against the Bucks on January 25th. The Hornets lost the game, but MKG was a bright spot, also adding seven rebounds and a pair of steals.

It’s tough to be a consistent part of the starting lineup and rotation and then go to a bench player and occasionally out of the rotation. To his credit, he handled this season like a champ and like a true professional.

Kidd-Gilchrist has yet to decide if he will opt-in to his $13 million contract and return to the Charlotte Hornets for next season. If he does hit free agency, it will be tough for him to make that kind of money, but he could get better playing time elsewhere.

In my opinion, Kidd-Gilchrist is definitely a rotational player, and I would even say he’s still a starting caliber small forward in the NBA. You can’t teach hard work and motor, and MKG has both of those skills.

His defense has always been excellent, but what stands out when watching him is his energy and effort. Whether you’re up 20 points or down 20 points, MKG plays the same way and you have to respect that.

We will see what his future holds, but hopefully Michael Kidd-Gilchrist can have a bounce back season in 2019-20, assuming that he opts-in to his contract and returns to Charlotte.