Charlotte Hornets: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist set to return vs Portland Trail Blazers
By Nick Ziegler
The banged up Charlotte Hornets will be getting a big boost on Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers, as Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will be in uniform.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is expected to make his season debut for the Hornets on Friday, and his return couldn’t have come at a better time with the Hornets’ roster being extremely banged up. Kidd-Gilchrist suffered a shoulder injury in October which required surgery, and many doubted whether or not he would even to be able to play at all this season.
INJURY UPDATE: @hornets Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has been cleared for game action & is expected to be in uniform tonight at POR. #CHAatPOR
— Charlotte Hornets PR (@HornetsPR) January 29, 2016
The former second overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft is certainly not a star, but he is a lockdown defender on the wing with his size and strength.
In three seasons, Kidd-Gilchrist has averaged 9.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. While Kidd-Gilchrist is an elite defender in the NBA, scoring the basketball has been, and likely will continue to be an area of weakness. In his career, he is shooting 46.4% from the field but has no ability to knock down three-pointers, as he has only taken 18 attempts in 195 games played.
The Hornets will be heading into Portland with a 22-24 record, which places them ninth in the Eastern Conference, but winning games on the road has been an extremely difficult thing for Charlotte, as they are 6-16.
The addition of Kidd-Gilchrist should help a defense that ranks in the middle of the road, allowing 101.6 points per game. When Kidd-Gilchrist has his legs back underneath him, look for the Hornets to once again become a good defense like in years past.