Hornets' Michael Kidd-Gilchrist re-tears labrum in right shoulder
Michael Kidd Gilchrist's rapid recovery from a torn labrum suffered during the preseason was one of the pleasant surprises of the NBA's first half. On Wednesday night against the Indiana Pacers, however, the story took a wrong turn: The 22-year-old Hornets wing re-tore the labrum in his right shoulder.
The team announced the MRI results on Thursday afternoon. Kidd-Gilchrist is out indefinitely and the team will reevaluate the injury, which may require surgery, after the All-Star break.
The injury more than likely ends Kidd-Gilchrist's season.
The injury is especially unfortunate not only because of Kidd-Gilchrist's relentless efforts to return to the court this season for his team — this coming after inking a new four-year contract with a player option that could keep him in Charlotte through the 2019-20 season — but because he was playing some of the best basketball of his career, particularly offensively.
In seven games this season, Kidd-Gilchrist averaged career highs with 12.7 points per game and a 118 offensive rating. Even more encouraging, the Kentucky product posted a career-best 60.3 true shooting percentage and had hit as many 3-pointers (three) over the past two weeks as he had in his previous three seasons combined.
The Hornets posted a 5-2 record with their top wing defender in the lineup, pushing into the Eastern Conference's No. 8 seed entering All-Star Weekend.
