Charlotte Hornets: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is Excelling in Return From Injury

Charlotte Hornets starting small forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has returned earlier than anticipated from shoulder surgery and has given the team a much needed boost.

I’m not saying Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is a robot, but I’m not saying he’s not a robot. I’ll just say in his quick return from injury the young wing has displayed robot tendencies. The Charlotte Hornets have to be thankful that their favorite almost cyborg is back in action.

When Kidd-Gilchrist went down with a serious shoulder injury in the preseason the thought was that he would be out for the entire regular season. If the Hornets were to make a run at the postseason then he might have been able to return, but even that was a pipe dream.

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That all changed in January when Kidd-Gilchrist was cleared for non-contact drills. Then a few weeks later he was cleared for contact drills and cleared to practice with the team. Finally, against the Portland Trail Blazers he made his return to game action, four months after injuring his shoulder and much earlier than even the most optimistic fans would have anticipated.

Against Portland Kidd-Gilchrist showed that his skills had not eroded one bit during his time away. In 34 minutes he scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds on 5-for-8 shooting. He also played great defense on C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard. Whenever Kidd-Gilchrist was on the bench McCollum and Lillard killed the Hornets (they finished with 17 and 22 points respectively). If the Hornets had two MKG’s they probably would have won the game.

Most importantly he passed the eye test. He looked fantastic despite being away from NBA basketball for several months. Defensively he was sound, he had not lost his quickness or any athleticism, and he still played with relentless energy. The only issue was his conditioning; at times he seemed a little tired. His conditioning will come with time, so it’s nothing to worry about.

Two nights later against the Los Angeles Lakers he was even better. In 28 minutes Kidd-Gilchrist scored 19 points and collected 12 rebounds on 6-for-7 shooting. He also dished out three assists and had two steals. The most surprising part of the game was his 2-for-2 performance from three-point range. This time the Hornets came out victorious, as they demolished the Lakers 101-82.

Through two games Kidd-Gilchrist is averaging 16 points, 9.5 rebounds, and two assists per game on 73.3 percent shooting with a PER of 24.61. That is the smallest of small sample sizes, but it’s encouraging to see him playing so well this early. The Hornets need him consistently in the lineup and playing well if they’re going to make the playoffs.

His return brings stability to the court that they haven’t had this season. Even just his defensive contributions can completely change the game. He only averaged 10.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last season, but his on the court, off the court stats were staggering. With Kidd-Gilchrist on the court last season the Hornets had an offensive rating of 102.7 compared to 99.1 without him. Charlotte’s defensive rating was 98.8 with him on the floor and 107.4 without him.

That’s an insane differential and one that shows just how devastating he can be to an opposing team’s offense. Through two games this season his on/off numbers are again trending in that direction. In the 62 minutes Kidd-Gilchrist has been on the court this season Charlotte’s offensive rating is 108.1 and their defensive rating is 92.5. It’s pretty simple at this point. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist makes the Hornets a better team.

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The book on Kidd-Gilchrist has always been that he is an elite defender, but on the offensive end he is limited due to his poor jumper. That’s true, but that ignores the offensive impact he makes in transition and when attacking the rim in half-court sets. Even though defenses sag off of him he can still attack off the dribble thanks to his explosive athleticism (he’s a career 61 percent finisher at the rim). His shot is improving, he shot 37.1 percent between 16 feet and the three-point line last season, so at some point his shooting may not be such a glaring weakness.

Can he keep up the stellar play? Common sense suggests he will suffer some adversity sometime soon. He can’t shoot 73.3 percent from the field and 100 percent from three-point range forever and his conditioning will continue to be an issue for the first few weeks. If he keeps racking up double-doubles and playing lockdown defense

Wednesday night MKG has a hot date with the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James. Most players would see that match-up as an annoying inconvenience, but after being out for so long Kidd-Gilchrist relishes the opportunity to go at the best.