The Charlotte Hornets came into the 2015-16 season already facing adversity. They were going to be without their young defensive-minded forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for the entire season, immediately setting this team back in a few ways. Their defense would suffer and his rebounding would also be missed on the Hornets frontline.
Well, the Hornets have managed to stay afloat in the Eastern Conference, putting up a 17-17 record without MKG and also missing big man Al Jefferson for a bunch of games due to injury and a suspension. It appears that the Hornets, who have surprised many people with their success, might get back MKG sometime this season.
Following from Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
Recent developments suggest Charlotte Hornets small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist could still play a significant chunk of the regular season.
Kidd-Gilchrist was recently cleared for all non-contact activities, following shoulder surgery in October to repair a torn labrum. If he progresses successfully in non-contact drills, he could be cleared in the coming weeks to start contact drills, the next step toward playing.
Kidd-Gilchrist’s original timetable suggested a six-month recovery time. So far he appears well ahead of that schedule.
“For sure. No question I’m going to play this season,” Kidd-Gilchrist told the Observer Wednesday at shootaround. “I’m going to play. It’s a matter of when now.”
“I want to help my team win and I feel I can bring a lot of energy both on the offensive side and the defensive side. I just want to get back to what I love to do,” Kidd-Gilchrist said.
“It’s exciting. Another stepping stone to look forward to. Again, I’ve worked as hard as possible.”
Clifford said everything so far looks positive, but the Hornets have cause not to project just when Kidd-Gilchrist might be ready to play.
“He’s been doing all the 5-0 and 3-0 drills in practice. Frankly, it’s just nice to have him around because he brings such energy to everything he does. They seem pretty ‘So far, so good’ with his recovery,” Clifford said.
“I’m not a doctor, but I think (he’ll play in the regular season). The only thing they’re hesitant about is the nature of these injuries. Literally it has to be step-by-step. They are hesitant to put out a timeline. They just want to make sure.”
Last season, the 22-year-old ranked first among wing players in defensive rebound percentage. The Hornets were 5-15 when he misses games, but 28-28 when MKG takes the court. They also were plus-247 points above the opposition when Kidd-Gilchrist enters game action and Per 100 possessions, when MKG takes the court, the Hornets are 13.1 points better than their opponents. When defended by MKG his assignments are shooting just 31.3 percent in catch-and-shoot situations. So obviously he was going to be missed but Charlotte has survived without him.
But would his return be welcomed? Should Charlotte make sure he’s back before the season is over? I think if they are competing for the playoffs, bring him back and work him in slowly. Don’t rush it. The team has a good chemistry right now without him and Big Al so they might just survive and hover around .500 and get into the playoffs.
On the other hand, if the season starts to slip away from them, then there could be some big repercussions. MKG would most likely just sit out the entire season and the Hornets could end up dealing Al Jefferson, who is in the final year of his contract.
There’s some big decisions to be made in Chartlotte, decisions that will only come with some time.
