3) Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.
Because, uh, whatever it is he’s doing up there. It looks like he’s twisting open an upside-down jar of pickles. I don’t get how you shoot like that without sending the ball careening away from you at a 90-degree angle.
I imagine shooting coaches have a checklist of things you want to do when you shoot. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist literally hits none of these check marks. Squared to the basket? Nope. Elbow in? Nope, elbow sideways. Is the off-hand guiding the ball towards the basket? Nope, it’s on top of the ball, like he’s trying to keep it from flying away. Does the ball leave his hand smoothly? Nope, his hitch is like a lever pull on a casino game. Does he release the ball at the apex of his jump? Nope, he’s almost at the floor again.
It’s one thing if he broke all conventions and shot 50 percent from the field. But Kidd-Gilchrist is shooting 28.1 percent on all shots outside of the paint and 62.7 percent from the line. His harrowing defense aside — and really, it’s good — the Nets might want to funnel all possessions to him tonight.
