When Michael Kidd-Gilchrist went down with a shoulder injury in October the general thought was that he would not return to the Hornets at all this season, especially once it was deemed that surgery was needed. Most people just assumed that even if Kidd-Gilchrist was cleared to return to action towards the end of the season, Charlotte would already be far out of the Eastern Conference playoff race and sit him for extra time to make sure he is perfectly healthy going forward to the future.
Surprisingly the Hornets have not been that bad, as even without arguably their best player the team has fought to be in contention for a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. And now it looks like Kidd-Gilchrist could be back much earlier than originally expected as he was cleared to practice on Tuesday.
And at practice he was doing very normal Michael Kidd-Gilchrist things like forcing people to miss shots.
MKG playing defense again pic.twitter.com/GkjPQ5R0qg
— Adi Joseph (@AdiJoseph) January 19, 2016
A healthy Kidd-Gilchrist would not only be a huge help for the Hornets but also a big win for people who like fun NBA things. With his smothering defense, great athleticism and boundless energy, Kidd-Gilchrist is a highlight waiting to happen. Hopefully it isn’t long before we get more than just short practice videos.