The Charlotte Hornets have lost five of their last six games to drop their record down to 15-13 on the season, but before this bad stretch, they looked like they could be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. The Hornets have been playing recently with a diferent team than they envisioned before the season started, as Al Jefferson has been hurt and suspended and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has been out all year. Kidd-Gilchrist was assumed to be done for the entire season, but now it appears he may be able to return at some point, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
Kidd-Gilchrist suffered a torn labrum at the beginning of October and underwent surgery on Oct. 7 for the tear. It was assumed at the time that MKG would be out for the entire season, but there have been updates here and there that he is progressing well and right on schedule. About two weeks ago, Kidd-Gilchrist was cleared to start shooting and he is reportedly working extremely hard to get back on the court before the season ends.
Bonnell initially believed that there was no chance MKG would be back on the floor this season, but he has changed his tune after seeing how hard he is working to get healthy and even predicted he would be back in April. Kidd-Gilchrist is known as an extremely hard worker, so this shouldn't come as too big of a surprise. However, if he does make it back, it would still be extremely impressive.
This offseason Kidd-Gilchrist signed a four-year $52 million contract extension with Charlotte, and they expected big things from him. Kidd-Gilchrist was expected to be the teams starting shooting guard and lock down defender, but without him, they have struggled at the shooting guard spot. P.J. Hairston has taken MKG's spot in the starting lineup, but he hasn't performed very well. Jeremy Lamb has played well at the two spot off the bench, but head coach Steve Clifford likes him off the bench, so the starting shooting guard spot has remained a problem. Having Kidd-Gilchrist starting and Lamb off the bench, with Hairston out of the rotation, would make this Hornets team that much better.
The hope for Charlotte is that they are still in the playoff hunt at the end of the season, and a potential MKG return could give them a final boost to get into the playoffs and hopefully make some noise. The fact that Kidd-Gilchrist even has a chance to return has to give this team some sort of boost, knowing that their teammate is working that hard to get back on the floor. As long as MKG doesn't have any setbacks, it seems like a good bet we will see him play at some point during this season.
