Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: 'No question I'm going to play this season'
Well, this is certainly a surprise. Charlotte Hornets forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who underwent shoulder surgery in October that was considered season-ending at the time, now says he plans to play this year.
The 22-year-old was recently cleared to participate in non-contact drills, per The Charlotte Observer. And that could lead to contact drills in the coming weeks. After that, it's game time:
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.”
On the surface, this is pretty good news, right? Kidd Gilchrist is Charlotte's best and most versatile defender, and the team is historically much better when he's on the court than off.
But—yes, there's a but—the Hornets have fallen in love with the three-point shot this season, and their spacing is improved from where it was last year. The absence of Kidd-Gilchrist and Lance Stephenson are two major reasons why, and adding the former second overall pick to the rotation could damage one of Charlotte's main strengths.
Kidd-Gilchrist's jumper has aesthetically improved from where it was in college, but he made precisely zero three pointers last year, and only three combined in the two years prior. Giving P.J. Hairston and Marvin Williams' minutes to MKG could strangle the Hornets' hard-earned offensive flow.
But all in all it's good to hear that one of the league's most exciting young talents is nearly 100 percent healthy. The NBA is a better place with him in it.
