NBA Rookie Draft Ranking and Fantasy Outlook: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Jun 29, 2012 Small Forward Updates
Michael Jordan’s Charlotte Bobcats selected Michael Kidd-Gilchrist with the second pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.
Kidd-Gilchrist’s career stats at Kentucky:
40 Games, 11.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, .9 blocks, 1.0 steals, 49.1 FG%, 74.5% FT%
Fantasy Advice: I was a little surprised when Kidd-Gilchrist was called at number two, but looking back it was probably telegraphed earlier in the week when the Bobcats traded Corey Maggette to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Ben Gordon. With MKG coming in, Maggette was no longer needed and with Kemba Walker, Ben Gordon and Gerald Henderson manning the guard spots, Bradley Beal wasn’t the right fit for Charlotte. I actually expected to see Thomas Robinson go here and it probably would have been a better pick.
The best that can be said about MKG right now is that he’s a high character guy and an intensely skilled defender, which isn’t what most fantasy owners are looking for from a number 2 draft pick type player. His offensive game is probably going to be very average early in his NBA career and probably won’t do much to help fantasy owners in his first season. He is extremely young though and many have said that he’s got one of the higher ceilings to be found in this year’s rookie class, so there is hope that his offensive game will develop in time.
My immediate reaction is that fantasy drafters are going to overpay for Kidd-Gilchrist simply because he was the number two NBA draft pick, but unless he shows some real offensive development and a decent role in the offense in training camp, I’d let someone else take the gamble on him.