On draft night, Kupchak gifted Clifford one thing he never had in his first stint as the Hornets head coach despite consistently turning out solid defensive teams a gargantuan, shot-blocking rim protector (excluding Dwight Howard) in Mark Williams out of Duke. There are few off-court questions about Clifford’s fit with the franchise, but it does remain to be seen whether he can switch up his style in accordance with the young roster’s strengths and lead them to the playoffs.
Thankfully, he’s got a long-standing reputation of being a likable coach that builds strong relationships with his players and staff. No player currently on the Hornets roster has ever played for Clifford– Miles Bridges was drafted the same summer he was let go and played his rookie year for James Borrego. Steve Clifford on structuring his offensive game plan around LaMelo Ball /OPQpI5nWTU And he’s a great talent with a passion for the game and a flair for playing in the open court. “Offense … starts with playing to the strengths of your best players. Whether he can adapt to the traits of a more offensively talented roster and maximize LaMelo Ball’s skillset will be the question. The Hornets never cleared 18th in transition frequency with Clifford at the helm, per Cleaning The Glass. He’s a coach that instills discipline and effort in his roster and makes the most out of the players he’s given the biggest concern arises with his offensive system, which is very slow-paced and discourages risky passes that can lead to turnovers. The Hornets were a top-20 defense each season under Clifford per Cleaning The Glass, peaking at sixth in his first season in charge (2013-14) when they allowed 104.2 points per 100 possessions. A post shared by Charlotte Hornets for his defensive acumen, it’s fair to assume the team will improve on that end in Clifford’s first year.
0 kommentar(er)
