Charlotte Hornets Need Michael Kidd-Gilchrist to Put It All Together in 2015-16

The Charlotte Hornets have been stuck in NBA purgatory since their inception as the Bobcats in 2004. No matter who they draft or sign, the franchise never seems to get past mediocre. Once they improve enough to reach the decency of a 40-45 win season, they plummet back down the standings. A decade of low-ceiling draft picks has left them stuck in an endless loop between average and abhorrent.

A bevy of swings and misses in the draft lottery greatly contributes to this ongoing issue. The highest of all these draft picks is 2012 No. 2 pick Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who, at 21 years of age, is still growing as a possible budding star. He took some noticeable steps forward last season, particularly on offense, by posting a career-best 10.9 points per game.

However, that won't cut it. The Hornets need MKG to put it all together in 2015-16.

After he regressed in 2013-14, there was a lot of doubt as to whether Kidd-Gilchrist would ever become anything other than a liability on the offensive end. This past season, while not a game-changer, he mostly held his own. That was a profound improvement.

His higher scoring output had a domino effect on the rest of his game. He also had a career year in the rebounding department at 7.6 per night, which was first in the NBA among small forwards. This is an overlooked aspect of his game, since he is of course known for his defensive prowess given his career-best 103 defensive rating last year.

But it all goes back to that jumper. According to Basketball-Reference.com, he attempted just 47.7 percent of his shots at the rim in 2014-15, down from 58.1 the previous season. Yes, he shot much better from beyond 16 feet at 37.1 percent, which is actually a decent number from that range.

The problem is that in today's NBA, analytics are continuing to reign supreme. No one cares about the mid-range jumper anymore. It's certainly a nice little aspect to add to MKG's game, and it represents a big step forward in his progress as an offensive weapon.

Robby Kalland of Hardwood Paroxysm spoke with MKG prior to last season, and after the opening game of the year, he was sold.

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When you watch the above clip, you can see just how smooth of a stroke it is now. He would have never made that quick-dribble shot in previous years, because he couldn’t. His footwork looks excellent, shuffling his feet to get them a shoulder-width apart and square to the hoop. His posture is much better, more vertical, and the clear difference is the elbow going straight up instead of bowing in.

It’s not a perfect jumper, but it’s light years ahead of what he had been doing. On Wednesday night, Kidd-Gilchrist shot 75% from the field and had 17 points in 34 minutes as the Hornets came back to beat the Bucks in overtime. He won’t shoot 75% this season — I’m pretty confident in saying that — but being even a minor offensive threat for the first time in his career, Kidd-Gilchrist’s minutes should go up because there won’t be such a drop-off in offensive production with him at the three.

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That's great and all, but there is still one big number hanging over MKG's head: zero.

Zilch. Nada. That's how many threes Kidd-Gilchrist hoisted last season. It was admirable to see the work he put in over the offseason pay dividends on his mid-range game, but this team is so bad at shooting from long range. He cannot continue to be such a huge part of that problem.

If his mechanics are fluid, it isn't inconceivable that he could add another step or two to his range. He doesn't have to become Stephen Curry in one year, but he has to shoot a few to keep defenses honest and prevent them from compacting the paint on Al Jefferson.

Spacing was a major issue for the 2014-15 Hornets largely because of their lack of perimeter threats.

Even if MKG hits just a quarter of his three-point attempts, as long as he can hit maybe 30-35 of them over the course of the entire season, it would be more than enough to open up the floor for himself and his teammates.

His jumper provided a glimpse of what he can be as the total package, but the reality is that he thrived in every other aspect of his game. MKG truly excelled as a rebounder, as we previously mentioned, and became an even better defender. He also became a better passer and turned the ball over at a lesser rate despite being more aggressive.

To build upon what he established, MKG has to keep being aggressive with his shot. He could also stand to be more of a pest on defense by forcing turnovers. If you combined his total skill set with about 14-15 points a night, then you really have a budding dynamo here.

An interesting way to look at MKG's prospects moving forward is to examine the moves Charlotte has made this offseason. Drafting Frank Kaminsky will help spread the floor, while the Jeremy Lin signing should help make Kidd-Gilchrist better as well. The Nicolas Batum acquisition slots another forward into the starting lineup, likely pitting him in a wing tandem with MKG. How those two work out together remains to be seen.

Batum is certainly one of the better passing non-point guards in the NBA, with his 4.8 assists a night in 2014-15. You don't think Wesley Matthews thrived playing alongside him with the Portland Trail Blazers? MKG has to follow suit.

If Batum can have even a minor impact on Kemba Walker and force him to be more of a distributor, it could be beneficial for all parties involved.

Heading into a contract year, the Hornets desperately need MKG to break out more. He has to put it all together and become what this team needs of a former No. 2 pick. He is certainly not the bust that Sean May or Adam Morrison were for the franchise, but all the failed draft picks make it more imperative that he become a cornerstone for the Hornets.