Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: Why the Former Kentucky Wildcat Will Thrive in the NBA

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is a special NBA prospect!

The former Kentucky Wildcats small forward was the emotional leader of a NCAA title-winning squad. Kidd Gilchrist is also one of the most gifted players in the draft. He should be a top-five draft pick and a force in the NBA.

But will he become an NBA superstar?

Intangibles

Kidd-Gilchrist is a coach's star.  He grades out off the charts on his willingness to learn, work with teammates, will to win, and overall intangibles.

"Intangibles" are hard to quantify.  But in Kidd-Gilchrist's case, it's clear he has them.  From day one at Kentucky, scouts, teammates, and coach John Calipari raved about his competitive fire and desire to win at all costs.  Despite his immense talent, he was willing to defer to open teammates to get the best shot and worked very diligently to improve on his areas of weakness, particularly shooting.

By the end of the season, Kidd-Gilchrist was the emotional leader of the NCAA tournament's best team. He went off for 24 points and 10 rebounds (including clutch 10/10 shooting from the line) to beat Indiana in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen and scored 19 points on 7/10 shooting to propel the Wildcats over Baylor in the Elite Eight.  So, he may not stack points up every game but he knows how to get them when it matters.

The bottom line: Kidd-Gilchrist is special because his desire to win trumps everything else, which is rare in a modern day NBA star. 

Defense and Rebounding

Kidd-Gilchrist stands out on defense: he may be the best man-on-man defender in college basketball. He is also an exceptional rebounder for his size and position, netting 7.5 a game on a team with low per-player statistics.  He was willing to hustle on both the defensive and offensive glass and pull down the tough rebounds when they count.

Defensively, Kidd-Gilchrist has been a stud since high school.  He came to Kentucky with sound fundamentals and a tough, Ron Artest-like attitude (the one time that phrase is used in a good way) on that end of the floor.  Kentucky coach John Calipari spent all season refining those fundamentals and teaching Kidd-Gilchrist to excel in both man-on-man and zone situations.  He is a particularly gifted perimeter defender, using his length and lateral quickness to keep him man in front of him and force long range shots.  

The end result was a triumph: Kidd-Gilchrist was a crucial piece in the Kentucky defense that shut down opponents in the NCAA tournament.  Between Davis and Kidd Gilchrist, opposing teams basically could not score: four out of five of Kentucky's opponents in the tournament (Kansas included) scored less than 75 points and none lost by less than five points.

Defense was at the core of that dominance, and Kidd-Gilchrist will take his defensive skills and attitude to the NBA. 

Athleticism and Tools

Kidd-Gilchrist has a fully developed, NBA-ready body with superb athleticism.  He is 6'7" and has ideal length and reach for a small forward.  Because he is 215 pounds of mostly muscle and in superb physical condition, Kidd-Gilchrist should be able to switch between the shooting guard and small forward positions.  With time, he has the tools to develop into a star swingman in the Andre Igoudala and Luol Deng mold.

Kidd-Gilchrist also has good leaping and slashing ability, which should help him hone his offensive game, and the lateral quickness to beat his opponents off the dribble.

Scoring and Shooting

Like fellow Kentucky star (and 2011 NBA draftee) Anthony Davis, Kidd-Gilchrist is a raw offensive player. Almost all of his NBA improvement needs to come on this end of the floor.  He has the tools, athleticism, and worker mindset to become an excellent offensive player, but he is definitely not there yet.

Right now, Kidd-Gilchrist has a poor jump shot, both from mid-range and three-point territory, and lacks go-to offensive moves.  Like Bulls star Derrick Rose, he will arrive in the league with elite athleticism and very poor shooting.  His three-point shooting is particularly bad; 25 percent on the season.  He took very few at Kentucky but, as a star NBA swingman, he will need to be a passable range shooter.  

But, as Rose, Deng, Igoudala, and others have showed, a player can become a mid-30s percent shooter from beyond the arc with hard work.  And Kidd-Gilchrist is a very, very determined hard worker.  

Ball Handling and Passing

Kidd-Gilchrist is a natural playmaker.  He is very unselfish and willing to put the ball in his teammates' hands if they have the best shot.  While this did not translate directly into assists, his playmaking presence was felt in critical situations.

He does need to work on his dribbling and his use of ball-handling on offense to generate his own shot. But those are skills that usually come with NBA seasoning.  

Team Fits and NBA Player Comparison

Kidd-Gilchrist is the kind of player every team can use.  He would fit right in particularly well with the New Jersey Nets, where a lineup of Deron Williams, MarShon Brooks, Kidd-Gilchrist, Gerald Wallace, and Brook Lopez would be very tough.  He would also fit nicely in Washington, which would pair him with John Wall as the two building blocks of the future.

He also compares well to several NBA stars.  Kidd-Gilchrist has Luol Deng's talent and the toughness that Deng has developed over the last few seasons.  He also looks like a smaller, more skilled Gerald Wallace. Perhaps he is closest to Andre Igoudala with the upside to be more of a game-changer on offense if he develops into an NBA superstar.