What’s behind the Hornets’ surprising start? Look no further than Steve Clifford
Final touches on one of the wildly unexpected outcomes of this early season was still hours away and the visiting coach was speaking eloquently about Steve Clifford.
The Charlotte Hornets hadn’t even pulled off their stunning victory against Golden State at Spectrum Center on a raucous Saturday night, spoiling the latest homecoming for Steph Curry, when Warriors coach Steve Kerr was explaining the characteristics often associated with going up against a team with Clifford at the helm. Clifford, four months into his second tour of duty coaching the Hornets, has been around the NBA for decades and garners a tremendous amount of respect among his peers including Kerr.
“He’s a hell of a coach,” Kerr said. “I think Steve is one of the most underrated coaches in the league. His defensive schemes are really sharp. He always does some interesting things against us to make us think, to make us work for baskets. His teams tend to execute really well on the offensive side.
“So he’s a really, really good coach who probably doesn’t get the recognition he deserves because he hasn’t had the chance to coach a great team. But I’m thrilled for him that he’s back here with this opportunity. Charlotte’s an up and coming team. Charlotte has got a lot of great talent, so that’s a good thing.”
Clifford is working wonders, keeping the Hornets (3-3) steady through turbulence that threatened to quickly knock them off course. Despite missing their All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball, this season’s leading scorer in Terry Rozier and a key defender in Cody Martin, they’ve collectively kept it together.
They haven’t just been competitive. They’ve been in every game, with the lone exception coming in Friday’s loss in Orlando. And it’s in large part thanks to Clifford.
Ironically, Clifford’s best masterpiece in the season’s early going came against the defending champion Warriors, the very team whose lead assistant was offered the job prior to Clifford landing it. But Kenny Atkinson spurning the Hornets and opting to remain in San Francisco could be a gift dressed in purple and teal disguise. If the first half-dozen games is any indication, Clifford’s return to Charlotte is precisely what the franchise needed.
Fueled by their spirited start to their2022-23 campaign, the Hornets certainly thinks so. They believe Clifford brings something different, a change that’s been noticeable soon after his arrival in June mere days before the start of free agency.
“Structure,” Kelly Oubre said. “He communicates very well on what he wants from us, and if we don’t do that he holds us accountable. That’s everything in this league because obviously we have a young team, but at the end of the day we are trying to grow and learn and be the best in our profession. And coach is bringing that out of us each and every day.”
That undoubtedly includes Dennis Smith Jr., the latest player to enjoy a renaissance of sorts under Clifford’s tutelage. Considered an afterthought when he signed a one-year non-guaranteed deal days before training camp, Smith Jr. has turned out to be a heady addition to the roster. He’s stepped in more than adequately while filling in until Ball’s sprained left ankle heals sufficiently to allow him back in game action for the first time since the preseason.
In their short stint together, Smith Jr. and Clifford have developed a relationship that’s bright enough to evoke a head nod or matter-of-fact verbal explanation whenever his name is brought up to Smith. Clifford has the ear of the 24-year-old guard and others. The early team chemistry is undeniable.
“It’s rare whenever you have a coach who’s a player’s coach,” Smith Jr. said, “and on top of that he really knows the game and can help you execute with Xs and Os. And I think he does a great job of doing both. As long as we follow the game plan, we’ll be able to win games.”
Getting their injured players back would also help and that could happen within the coming days if the Hornets’ training staff gives them the green light. It’s going to be interesting to see exactly how they assimilate themselves into the flow once they return.
But the good news is at least the Hornets have a young core they can build around, which should give Clifford something he hasn’t had that much while amassing a 45% winning percentage in eight-plus seasons.
“It’s just players,” Kerr said. “At this level it’s all about the talent. It always has been. You look at the great coaches in history — Pat Riley and Phil Jackson, Red Auerbach — they all had great talent. They are also great coaches, but you think about the number of coaches in this league that have come through and just didn’t have a lot of talent through the years and the story could have been different had they had a different level of talent at their disposal.
“So it’s always kind of luck and timing and these things always come into play.”
Now Clifford has that with Ball. It will be intriguing to see what he does with the 21-year-old face of the franchise and if the two can take each other to greater heights.
Kerr already is familiar with this collection of Hornets, having lost in the Warriors’ last four appearances on North Carolina soil. He knows they have a solid core and can ball, setting the stage for it all to be furthered on Clifford’s watch.
“Yeah for sure,” Kerr said. “We could see it last year. Charlotte was much improved from a talent standpoint. You could feel that talent level, not just LaMelo. But (Miles) Bridges and PJ Washington, (Terry) Rozier. They’ve got guys. So it feels like this is a really good spot for him and obviously he knows the area, he knows the organization. So it’s a good spot.”
This story was originally published October 30, 2022 at 11:21 AM.
