I am not sure where you got your information but your critique is the polar opposite of what Draft Express has on Harrison. Nonetheless if you intend to interchange Allen and MKG that is a bigger reason to have caution on drafting him as to acquire him you are trading Rudy Gay so you still need to find a serviceable 3. He is also a bit undersized to play that position long term. MKG also is so limited offensively that unless he is in a fastbreak offense his best skills as you mentioned is backing down a smaller opponent, which isn't exactly go to since he is not as strong as his frame indicates (during testing only benched required weight 6 times, Harrison did it 15 times) Harrison also tested better athletically than MKG, and you have already conceeded he has a better jumpshot. MKG took the fewest shots for Kentucky which indicates he knew his limitations. I also don't have the faith in the Coaching staff to make something out of him that you have.
It's really not the polar opposite of what DX has. They recognize that his numbers were disappointing this season, and in their valuation of him (if I'm recalling correctly), they said that he only shot ~33% from the field in the tournament. The Assist to Turnover Ratio/Information on Jump Shooting came directly from DX, as someone had pointed to those jump shooting statistics previously in a debate about Barnes.
To answer where I got my overall perception of him, it was from watching him play time and again.
That is a point worth mentioning with regard to the 3. We can answer that question in free agency. As it currently stands, we are going to need someone to fill OJ Mayo's minutes. MKG could play either position. He didn't really back down his opponents much at UK from what I saw. He scored in transition, off of drives to the basket, and on baskets off of an offensive rebound. I wouldn't consider the combine's lifting test a true measure of functional strength. By those standards, Kevin Durant shouldn't be able to play in the NBA, as he had 0 reps on the bench. Harrison tested better athletically, but he is not a better athlete on the court. He can't drive by his man at all and rarely got to the rim last year, the exact opposite of Gilchrist. He has a horrible first step and this limited him offensively. Whether or not his vertical is two inches or so more than Gilchrist's is irrelevant. Their athleticism figures were virtually a wash at the combine (with Harrison having the slight edge), but the difference is that Gilchrist actually translates his athleticism to in-game scenarios.
Actually, that does not indicate that he understood his limitations at all. It demonstrates that he rarely forced his shot. For reference, he took 18.6% of his team's shots and Anthony Davis took 18.7%. Can you apply this same logic to Davis, intimating that he recognized his limitations? All this means is that he understood his role and rarely forced shots. Despite his paltry numbers from beyond the arc, Gilchrist had a 57% TS % and a 51.1% eFG% compared to Barnes' 52.8% TS% and 48.7% eFG%. He was the more efficient offensive player last year and the far better defender. Kidd-Gilchrist still has room to grow with his jumper, and he is a full year younger than Barnes. If he stayed another year, I would have expected that margin to significantly change in favor of MKG.
I don't oppose drafting MKG but everyone should realise what you are getting. His defensive skills againist boys may not exactly be the same againist men and if that is the case then what?
Well the boys that he played against/with are future stars in the NBA. UK played a challenging schedule and he traveled a lot to play the top competition in high school. He's extremely battle tested for a young player. His defensive abilities will likely translate immediately. If you watch some of the Kansas-UK matchup, he was guarding Kansas' point guard. His versatility enables him to cover 1-4 in the NBA imo. That is very useful for us if we are looking to bring in combo guards, as our management has recently stated in interviews during workouts. (workout thread)
What will he hang his hat on? You can expect him to better than Tony Allen do you? So if he is not better than Tony he can't supplant Tony and you can't play them together unless D. Rose is their point guard and he shoots everything, what will be his value?
Defense, work ethic, becoming a wing after playing forward his entire life. There is so much room for growth there. So many ball skills that will likely be developed. His value will be on the defensive end and he will likely become a shooter down the road if he continues to progress at such a rapid rate in converting to the wing. I doubt he will ever be an elite shooter, but plenty of guys have developed their shot in the NBA. Given his work ethic, I'm pretty sure that he has this ability. Further, his value will be as a stopper on the defensive end guarding 1-3. He can also rebound and is extremely aggressive. MKG is one of the biggest lifelong winners in the draft, and that should not be underestimated either. Also, MKG is more of a complimentary defender to TA. He has quick hands but at times is more of a positional defender, like a quicker, more athletic Battier. That worked for us before.
One last thing regarding the Grizzly Defensive prowess, I believe it is a bit of a mirage and does not mean that they necessarily stop people. They play the passing lanes and Tony is a lock down defender but there are times when they don't stop anyone and the opposing team is in the paint like it is a layup line. They play the pick and roll horribly and especially when Conley/ZBO are the defenders. IMO building a so called Defensive unit in the mold of the 90's Pistons has always been wishful thinking with the group of guys on the roster. They just don't show up consistently enough to make that plausible, it is also not a good sign when your bench guys are your best defenders with the exception of T.A.
I disagree. I think that we do play the passing lanes and angles fairly well. And, I think that our perimeter D is fairly elite. The problems that we run into are due to the lack of mobility/superior athleticism on our front line. (between Zach and Marc) Perimeter defenders often angle offensive players towards shot blockers, but they need to make the play. Our problem is that we have no elite shot blockers on our team. Gilchrist can block shots, but we do need to address this issue in the future as well. It is another excellent point. I think Darrell Arthur coming back would definitely make a difference.
