NBA Charlotte Hornets

Gerald Henderson Injury May Give Kidd-Gilchrist Final Starting Spot In Charlotte

Fresh Videos

By @TheSizzle20

Gerald Henderson injury

Sam Sharpe – USA Today Sports Images

The Charlotte Hornets made an enormous signing this offseason when they were able to land highly coveted free agent guard, Lance Stephenson. Bringing in a two-way player of that caliber is obviously an enormous step forward for a team that’s trying to reach new plateaus off of a playoff appearance in the 2013-14 NBA season.

However, the signing of Stephenson also brought along a bit of an issue in terms of the Hornets’ rotation. Stephenson is undoubtedly going to be in the starting five for Charlotte, leaving only one other starting slot open on the wings. The issue arises in the fact that both Gerald Henderson and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist have a case to take that final spot in the starting five.

Coming into the preseason, the competition between Henderson and MKG was obviously going to be one of the most important storylines to follow. However, that battle has quickly become a lot more one-sided as preseason play is just getting underway.

According to a report from Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, Henderson felt something wrong with his hamstring earlier this week in practice. After missing a day of practice and going to get an MRI, it was revealed that Henderson has a strained right hamstring. The injury is likely to sideline the guard for a week or two.

Obviously the timeline for Henderson being out shouldn’t affect his readiness to start the regular season, but it could almost surely have an impact on the battle for that last starting spot. Kidd-Gilchrist is going to be getting the first-team reps in preseason play and, though it’s a tough break for Henderson, that could be enough to have MKG as the starter when the regular season begins.

There’s clearly no concrete starter at this point and Henderson could come back at the end of the preseason and earn the job. Even if he does lose the job to Kidd-Gilchrist, there’s certainly a chance that he could overtake him as the regular season rolls on. The way things are breaking for Henderson and the Hornets right now, though, it seems like the path is being paved for MKG to be on the wings with Stephenson to start games at the beginning of the regular season.

Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20, add him on Google and like his Facebook page.

Share Tweet
Trending Now on