How is Charlotte Hornets’ Michael Kidd-Gilchrist faring in concussion protocol?

Forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is back with the Charlotte Hornets after missing about a week of the preseason with concussion symptoms.

Kidd-Gilchrist was held out of the second half of last Sunday’s exhibition against the Boston Celtics and placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol. Kidd-Gilchrist played in Saturday’s public intra-squad scrimmage at Spectrum Center; scrimmaging serves as the last of several steps to being cleared from protocol.

“He looked good today. He went through some contact today, and we’ll see how he responds overnight and look at him” Sunday at practice, said new coach James Borrego.

This wasn’t Kidd-Gilchrist’s first concussion over his six NBA seasons. In February 2013, during Kidd-Gilchrist’s rookie season, he was knocked unconscious in a collision with then-teammate Jeff Taylor during a road game against the Houston Rockets.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 draft, Kidd-Gilchrist has spent most of his Hornets career as a starter at small forward. This season, Borrego has asked the 6-7 Kidd-Gilchrist to play more power forward, where he will likely back up starter Marvin Williams.

The Hornets have two exhibitions left before the regular-season opener Oct. 17: Tuesday at home against the Chicago Bulls and Friday against the Mavericks in Dallas. Borrego said he will likely raise the starters’ minutes in one of those remaining exhibitions closer to a regular-season rotation as a dress rehearsal of sorts.

This story was originally published October 6, 2018 at 1:43 PM with the headline "How is Charlotte Hornets’ Michael Kidd-Gilchrist faring in concussion protocol?."