Despite decreased role, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has stayed ready for Hornets
CHARLOTTE – If Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is unhappy in his current role with the Charlotte Hornets, he does a good job of hiding it.
When reporters are in the locker room, the 6-foot-6 forward is quiet. Most of the time, he sneaks out before the scribes covering the team shuffle in after games. Before games, he’s typically on the court, warming up with teammates or engaging in a game of around-the-world with Willy Hernangomez, Cody Martin and Nic Batum. When he’s not on the court pre-game, he posted up at his locker in the back corner – situated between Martin’s and Miles Bridges’ – listening to music, cracking jokes or having a bite to eat. His teammates’ go-to for getting under his skin seems to be asking about his beloved NFL team, the pitiful Washington Redskins.
Kidd-Gilchrist has been anything but a distraction to the Hornets this season. By all accounts, he’s practiced hard, been a good teammate, filled his role and has stayed ready, even if his chances to shine on the court have been scarce.
Which is a bit of a surprise, considering Kidd-Gilchrist’s situation: He’s a former No. 2 overall pick, the sixth highest-paid player on the team, in the prime age of his career at 26, and yet his minutes have been cut drastically this season. Last year, Kidd-Gilchrist played in 64 games and played 18.4 minutes per-night. This season? He’s come off the bench in just four of the Hornets’ 26 games so far.
If other players around the league were placed in Kidd-Gilchrist’s shoes, they may have found a way to be a nuisance. A way to force themselves into the lineup. A way to make the head coach or the general manager look like the bad guys. A way to get on another team.
But Kidd-Gilchrist has been an absolute professional. Whatever word is the opposite of diva, that’s what Kidd-Gilchrist has been.
“I am who I am. I’m a stand-up guy. You know, so, I don’t know,” Gilchrist said after he played 22 minutes Sunday in the Hornets loss to the Hawks. “I was just trying to have fun. Just have fun and be myself. I’ve been here for eight years, so like, you know.”
It’s been clear for a while that Kidd-Gilchrist’s future in the NBA after this season is not with the Hornets. He’s in the final year of a contract that will pay him $13 million this season. At the team’s preseason media day in October, Kidd-Gilchrist said “I don’t know” when asked where he fit into the lineup, and “no comment” when asked if the team had talked to him about his role.
Kidd-Gilchrist did explain why he picked up his player option on his contract to stay with the Hornets this season, saying, “My kids, my family. I had thought about the fact of opting out for day in and day out, and my two kids helped play a big role in me opting in. And that’s the truth.”
Before that media day, Hornets’ head coach James Borrego said that he was going to lean toward youth this season when determining the depth chart and rotations. Kidd-Gilchrist isn’t old by any means at 26 and with seven years of pro experience under his belt, but the majority of this Hornets' team has less than three years of NBA playing time.
And the Hornets know what they have in Kidd-Gilchrist after watching him play since 2012: He’s not a superstar, he’s not a great scorer and he’s a below average three-point maker, but he’s also a solid rebounder, he has the ability to guard multiple positions and he always brings effort and energy to the court.
“He brings a competitive edge. He can defend, he can rebound,” Borrego said before Tuesday’s game vs. the Wizards. “We need some physicality and some toughness out there. He’s stayed ready and I’m going to give him a look.”
But the Hornets aren’t exactly sure in what they have yet in Miles Bridges, P.J. Washington, Dwayne Bacon, Malik Monk and Cody Martin. And in a transition year, they need to find out. So, those players are always going to play ahead of Kidd-Gilchrist.
When it comes to the other veterans that play where Kidd-Gilchrist can – Marvin Williams and Nic Batum – they simply bring more diverse skill-sets to the court. Williams is a good three-point shooter, a decent rebounder and has a knack for forcing turnovers. Batum is an above average passer, a swiss-army knife on defense and can impact a game in a variety of ways, even if it doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet.
The makeup of the Hornets roster and the direction the franchise is heading in this season has simply left Kidd-Gilchrist as the odd man out. And while he’s accepted that, he’s remained positive.
“I’m confident. Confident in my teammates, confident in myself, in M.J., everybody,” Kidd-Gilchrist said. “It’s hard, but like, you know, I can’t really control the narrative.”
With Williams missing his first two games of the season on Sunday and Tuesday – nursing soreness in his right knee – Borrego had a hole to fill in his rotation against the Hawks and Wizards. He turned to Kidd-Gilchrist, who didn’t stuff the stat sheet, but provided intensity and toughness.
Over 38 minutes in those two games, Kidd-Gilchrist notched 11 points, six rebounds, two assists and one block. He knocked down 1-of-5 three-pointers and shot 5-of-13 from the floor.
“He’s the one guy that has stayed ready,” Borrego said of Kidd-Gilchrist on Sunday. “He’s working and I went with him tonight instead of Nic. That’s where we’re at… I thought he competed and played hard.”
What Kidd-Gilchrist’s future holds is unknown. It’s clear that there’s a place for his skills in the NBA. In an era where three-pointers are being shot more than ever, teams have a need for tough and versatile defenders like Kidd-Gilchrist that are quick enough to guard shooters along the arc and tough enough to bang in the paint.
He could remain with the Hornets for the rest of the year. He could be traded in a deal as salary filler before the deadline. Or, the Hornets could reach a contract buyout with him after the trade deadline.
Whatever happens, don’t expect Kidd-Gilchrist to make a fuss about it.
“I’m young I got a lot of basketball left in me,” Kidd-Gilchrist said. “Whatever happens after this, happens.”
