Hornets' Michael Kidd-Gilchrist: Ready to go for training camp

Hornets coach Steve Clifford said Monday that Kidd-Gilchrist (shoulder) is in great shape and ready to go for training camp, Steve Reed of The Associated Press reports.

Analysis:

Kidd-Gilchrist was limited to just seven games last season after requiring two surgeries to address a torn labrum, with his latest procedure occurring in February. The fifth-year forward has been known as a defense-first player throughout his career, but he showed some real growth on the other end of the court last season, albeit in a small sample. Over those seven games, Kidd-Gilchrist averaged 12.7 points (on 54.1% shooting) to go with 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 29.3 minutes per contest. Clifford said that Kidd-Gilchrist won't face any restrictions in training camp or during the season, so the 23-year-old makes for a relatively risk-free fantasy pick, despite last season being almost entirely ruined by injury. He's set to start at small forward and could be in line for a career-best production.