http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Michael-Kidd-Gilchrist-5707/ http://www.usatoday.com/sports/coll...30/kentucky-Michael-Kidd-Gilchrist/52289032/1 Yongest prospect in the draft with super competitiveness and outstanding work ethic. Ideal size and strong frame for a wing. Fantastic defender who can defend 1-4. Unbelievable wing rebounder and finishner around the basket.Complete player who understand the game with or without the ball. Good and unselfish teammate on and off the court. His weakness is the jump shooting percentage/mechanism and inability to create shots off dribble. I think those can be fixed or developed based on his excellant work ethic and passion for the game at such a young age. From his phsical attributes to mental makeup, I believe he's the only other prospect with REALIZABLE superstar potential other than Davis. Robinson has pretty much the same height and reach as Patterson, so the size factor will limit his upside especially on defense. Beal is not a great defender and had a mediocre freshman season, and he's not an explosive athelete. Drummond is just out of discussion. All of them can be allstars but none has the potential to match Davis or MKG. His stock is high, but could fall down to as low as 4th/5th pick. If Morey could ever move up and he's available, we are going to have a superstar in the making for the next decade.
Unfortunately, the 18 years old MKG is only a better finisher than 23 years old Parsons at this stage. Their rebounding/defense/shooting are probably on the same level. Parsons can defend 4's better, and MKG can defend 1's without question. Now, if you ask me what does MKG do is better than 18 years old Parsons...
bust. shooting form is broken. he juts out one foot and takes off balance (if you draw a line from his feet to his head its not perpendicular to the ground). very poor habit that is difficult to fix. ceiling is wilson chandler.
No way he'll be a bust IMO. His broken form is a little worrisome, but then again he's 18 years old still. There's no reason to believe he won't be able to fix his shot as hard a worker as he is. I think he'll become a better version of Gerald Wallace.
Inability to create off the dribble is what will keep him from being a star. He can be a very good player though.
Fair enough. My questionmark about a guy like MKG is even though he is only 18, most true superstars are already offensively ready at 18, at least their skillset is there. Think back to Kobe, Lebron, Melo, Durant. Their shooting touch and offensive prowess was already developed. Now look at a guy like Bradley Beal. His offensive prowess is already developed. Not saying Beal is going to be a superstar. He's got some size issues. But I have no trouble seeing that Beal should be a substantial rotation player in his rookie season and most likely will be in the top 5 ROY voting unless he suffers a serious injury or is traded to some team that staples him to the bench for whatever stupid reason. When I look at MKG, right now, I see Shane Battier. Guy works hard. He's got defensive skill. He's smart, great bball iq, great teammate, other guys want him on the team. MKG is a perimeter player. To be a superstar perimeter player in the NBA, you gotta have serious offensive skills. You gotta be able to shoot it from anywhere out to 30 feet at a high percentage, you gotta be able to dribble drive and finish, and you gotta be able to post up. Now, an 18-year old may not be proficient in posting up because of their lack of strength, but they should be able to do the other two things at a highly proficient level. I don't see that in MKG and I have a difficult time seeing him develop it now that he is going to be playing against Kobe and Lebron and Melo and Durant night after night. So, let's say best case scenario, he does develop into all that in the next 3 years and by the time he's 22-23 he's a legit superstar. He's in the same group as all the rest of those guys. Is he gonna be better than Lebron, Durant, Melo, ...........or, dare I say, Harden when he is 23 and they are 27-31??? Even best case scenario, the odds are good that he will just be competing against the best. I just don't see it. I see a guy that is going to have a long, good NBA career. I see a Shane Battier. That's a very, very good player. But his jumper needs some serious work and I mean some serious work. He shot 25% from 3 in college. That's gonna be a lot of his 2-point shots in the pros. If he's knocking down 20 footers at 25% in the pros, look out. That's a recipe for a defensive specialist and bench warmer if he doesn't get his shot fixed. It should have already been addressed. I think it will be several years just to turn MKG into a mediocre shooter, not a great shooter. And we're not even talking about creating off the dribble, finding teammates, and knowing when to shoot and when to pass, etc. We're not even talking about doing all the offensive things that a superstar does. We're talking about learning how to shoot the NBA 3-ball at a respectible 38%. I just don't see superstardom in MKG.
jopatmc basically put everything I was thinking onto paper. For where he is projected to be drafted, I consider him a very limited upside player. People are quick to defend him by citing his incredible work ethic, but to me he doesn't pass my eyeball test.
"He has the ability to go inside the paint and back down smaller wing players in post situations, showing great strength overpowering opponents and having no problems finishing through contact. He has nice touch around the basket and even a jump-hook he likes to utilize at times with his back to the basket situations... From DraftExpress.com http://www.draftexpress.com#ixzz1wqRkTnUx http://www.draftexpress.com " He can defend both wing positions very well. On offense, he's already posting up smaller opponents and finishing strong, and he's got quick&long first step to drive by bigger players. He's not a good shooter yet, but is a good scorer as he draws fouls and shoots a respectable 75% from the foul line. We all see how Lowry, Kawi Leonard developed their shooting with great work ethic. Another first round prospect - 23 years old Jeff Taylor improved his three point shooting a lot since his 22% freshman year. I don't think it's that hard for MKG who is so much younger and worked hard, if not harder than most other players. I don't think battier has MKG's tenacity, strength and speed even in his prime. The fact that MKG is a scoring threat on a loaded championship team even without a nice jump shot really shows what a unique player he is. I'd be happy to see him competing against Lebron, Durant in a few years. Of course nothing is certain and it's always hard to predict one and done prospects as confirmed by Hollinger's draft rater. My assessment is based on his phiscal attributes, college performance on both ends, his reported outstanding work ethic and passion for the game... all as 18 years old player.
MKG won't be a superstar but he will end up better than Shane Battier. He will work hard to improve on the offensive end but will never be an elite scorer. Battier was too lazy to develop anything more than a 3-point set shot and a hook shot from close in. MKG strikes me as the kind of guy who won't be satisfied with only impacting the defensive end of the floor.
Beal, Drummond, Robinson, Barnes, and Sullinger all have more star potential. I'm honestly confused why he's rated as high as he is. He's a solid 6-10 pick for me.
Ive seen MKG get 19 rebounds and 22 rebounds againist the likes of North Carolina, and Vanderbilt I think Parsons is a better defender, but MKG has longer arms, and is much better rebounder( very underrated) I actually like Parsons and MKG( they do everything on the court except score at a high rate). You can never have too many of those guys in my opinion.
MKG may not shoot the jumpers well, but he's going to get you clutch buckets in a variety of ways. I think he's already better than Parsons, but Parsons is already better than Battier in his rookie season.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ky-sensation-will-be-highlight-of-draft-class Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: Why Kentucky Sensation Will Be Highlight of Draft Class Let's all just forget about Anthony Davis for a moment as it is a lock that he will be the No. 1 pick when the 2012 NBA draft rolls around on June 28. We know what the 6'10" center, who led the Kentucky Wildcats to the 2012 National Championship, brings to the table and what he could become in the NBA. However the player we could be talking about the most in 10 years from the 2012 draft class is Davis' freshman teammate under John Calipari, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. The 6'7" Kidd-Gilchrist has separated himself from the rest of the draft class and is considered in the top tier of NBA prospects along with Davis, Florida guard Bradley Beal and Kansas forward Thomas Robinson. With Davis expected to go No. 1 to the New Orleans Hornets, the other three players could wind up going to any of the following: the Charlotte Bobcats, Washington Wizards or Cleveland Cavaliers (owners of picks No. 2-4). While he may not have the perimeter offensive abilities of Beal or the strong low post presence of Robinson, Kidd-Gilchrist has easily the best motor of any player in the draft and was the quintessential leader for the National Champion Wildcats. Listed at around 210 lbs., Kidd-Gilchrist is wiry strong, and while he was able to muscle his way in and grab rebounds in college, he will need to add several pounds to his frame if he hopes to bang inside in the NBA. You can tell just by watching this video though that he has the work ethic and drive to do what it takes to be ready for the rigors of the NBA game. With a 6'11" wingspan and excellent athleticism, Kidd-Gilchrist was a lock-down defender for the Wildcats. Couple that with his aggressive mentality and toughness, and you have a player who is ready to contribute big minutes on the defensive end as a rookie next year. Kidd-Gilchrist also brings that aggressive nature to the other side of his game as most of his offensive ability is predicated on his ability to attack the basket and grab offensive rebounds. He is a superb ball-handler for a kid of his size, and he runs the break very well. When he is on the wing he can get to the basket with ease and throw down highlight dunks like this one. He finishes very well through contact, and with consistent reps on his low-post game, MKG could dominate smaller guards and small forwards on the low block in the future. The weakest part of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's game is his jump shot as he has an unorthodox shooting motion that is very herky-jerky. He often doesn't square himself to the basket, and it caused him to shoot just 25.5 percent from behind the arc last season. I had a chance to see him play live several times in high school at St. Patrick's, and I can tell you that the good news is that he has improved extensively on his shooting ability since his high school days. You know that he is going to put in the necessary work to improve his shot at the level necessary to score in the NBA, and with several years under his belt, I expect him to be making closer to 40 percent of three-pointers. While he won't go first overall and he could drop all the way to the Cavaliers at No. 4, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has the potential to be the best all-around player selected in the 2012 NBA draft. Going to Cleveland could actually end up being the best-case scenario for MKG, as he would be reunited with high school teammate Kyrie Irving whom he describes as his "best friend" according to Slam Online. While Anthony Davis is a slam-dunk to be the No. 1 overall pick when the draft begins on June 28, don't be surprised if by the time it is all said in done it is Kentucky teammate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist we are talking about as the best player drafted in 2012.
I wouldn't draft MKG at #2 like it's being projected he might go...but I agree that he has the drive and passion for the game to be a lot better than Battier...Battier even admitted in an interview recently that he’s not even a true fan of basketball...He’d spend his offseasons doing yoga instead of improving on his basketball skills because he just didn't care that much. In contrast you have MKG… [rQUOTEr]He's anxious to get back to doing what he loves -- playing basketball. Like most top prospects, he's being held out of five-on-five pickup games to keep him injury free during the process. It's the longest basketball drought he's ever experienced and it's driving him crazy. "I miss it," he says. "I just love to play. Basketball is my life. The training is good and I feel like it's helping me. But I'm itching to play a game." [/rQUOTEr] Here's the rest of that Insider piece on MKG today if anyone wants to read it... Spoiler
I dont think jopatmc was saying he'd actually be another shane battier, but that they are comparable in the role they will play throughout their career: Great defensive player, with limited offense. MKG is clearly more athletic and has much better handles, so he should be better, assuming he adds some more weight, so he won't get pushed around. Really athletic players should have very well balanced mechanics. However, when shooting, you're almost forced to favor one side. The reason these guys don't have great jumpers is because the body is more conditioned to be balanced, so it resists the unilateral shooting motion. Some guys deal better with this because they adopt different shooting mechanics from the beginning.
No way Parsons is already as good as Shane was during his best years with the Rockets. If you are comparing him to the current joke Shane is with the Heat, agreed. Shane's biggest skill right now is falling down, which almost won the game for Miami last night. But fortunately, Michael Pietrus saw the light and used the same move on LeBron.
The difference is that MKG's shot is completely broken. His form is utter garbage. Tryeke Evans, Rajon Rondo bad. I do believe that he will become a reliable shooter down the road, but I don't think you can compare him to Lowry, Leonard or Taylor as none of these guys had a hitch as major as MKG in their shot.
Niether Kobe nor Lebron were good 3 point shooters coming into the league, and a lot of people didn't think Lebron's jumpshot would ever develop because of his form.
