STEVE CLIFFORD HIRING THOUGHTS
So here we are. With the same coach we fired almost 5 years ago. This time it looks different, Clifford has the most talented roster he’s ever had with a true blossoming superstar in LaMelo Ball, a bucket getter in Terry Rozier and a solid calm veteran in Gordon Hayward. (Not mentioning Miles Bridges yet, even though there’s a high chance we resign him.) So the question is what should we expect the second go around with Clifford? Let’s take a look at 4 things together.
DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT.
It’s no secret that the Hornets were an awful defensive team last season. Clocking in at 22nd out of 30 teams in the NBA in DRTG(Defensive rating). Now some of that was the scheme and effort, and some of that was also that the Hornets had zero rim protection last year with Plumlee and Harrell on the floor. When you have below average defenders at guard and wing and you have no rim protection, things will go badly. If you watched both play in games that Charlotte has played in, you’ll notice a lack of defensive intensity and effort. Clifford is looking to change that. In Clifford’s first 2 years in Orlando the Magic finished top 11 in DRTG and slipped into the playoffs twice. Being top eleven in DRTG with a notoriously poor rim protector like Nikola Vučević is very impressive.
WILL THE YOUNG GUYS PLAY?
Clifford has always been stubborn about playing rookies and young players over veterans. He always wants to put the best possible players on the floor at all time in order to win, he doesn’t care about developing young players as much as he does winning. The young guys like James Bouknight, Kai Jones, JT Thor, and Mark Williams will have to prove to Clifford and his staff that they can play and immediately contribute to helping the Hornets towards the playoffs.
WILL THE OFFENSE STAY THE SAME?
The 2021-2022 Hornets had an elite top 10 offense. Coming in at 8th overall in the ORTG (Offensive ratings) They were the only team in the top 10 to not make the playoffs. James Borrego deserves credit for masterminding the offensive system and gameplan. Will Clifford choose to alter it, or will he let LaMelo Ball take the reigns and run with it? If the Hornets can keep the same offensive firepower and they jump into the top 16 on defense, they will be a playoff team.
EXPECT FEWER TURNOVERS
Clifford led teams have a philosophy: Play hard defense, and don’t turn the ball over. The Hornets were 9th in Turnover percentage. Not too bad but definitely room for improvement.
Clifford by no means is a sexy hire. Personally I wanted D’Antoni. But he is a solid coach and a (kind of) new voice in the locker room. Clifford will seek to keep the offense at an elite level while working on elevating this young teams defense. In the end only time will tell on whether or not Steve Clifford was the right hire for the Charlotte Hornets.
