Though believing that former Kentucky standout Michael Kidd-Gilchrist needed to improve his perimeter shooting, first-year Charlotte Bobcats Coach Mike Dunlap waited for the right moment to broach the subject.

“I went to him when no one was around and I said, ‘Can we get this thing to where you want it?’”

Kidd-Gilchrist eagerly accepted the offer. “God, coach, let’s do it,” he said.

So began a process that Dunlap hopes can make Kidd-Gilchrist a better shooter. Like most NBA teams, the Bobcats begin formal pre-season camp this week. But the effort to improve Kidd-Gilchrist’s shooting is already well under way.

During his time in Lexington recently for UK Coach John Calipari’s Fantasy Camp, Kidd-Gilchrist said he was accompanied by a shooting coach. The player cited the flaws in his shooting motion that he wants to eliminate.

“My follow through,” he said. “I need to hold it high every time I shoot.

“And I have a hitch in my shot.”