Steve Clifford Press Conference Reaction

Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford held an introductory press conference on Tuesday afternoon. Clifford spoke on a wide range of topics including his previous stint in Charlotte, his philosophy for the team, his expectations this season, and how the city of Charlotte has changed in the four years he has been away. General manager Mitch Kupchak also spoke and addressed the decision to hire Clifford, the plan to resign Miles Bridges, and the amusing story of how he purchased Clifford’s apartment after parting ways with him in 2018.

Clifford made early mention of his continuing relationship with Kupchak as well as with Hornets owner Michael Jordan, which certainly played a role in his name being considered when the job came open again. Clifford was also honest about the way his first stint in Charlotte ended, saying that he understood the decision to move on after his teams had missed the playoffs in two consecutive seasons. That playoff drought now sits at six seasons, and Clifford will be tasked with ending what is now the NBA’s second-longest playoff drought behind only the Sacramento Kings’ stretch of 16 straight playoff misses.

Speaking about pace and style of play, Clifford mentioned that Charlotte will be an upbeat and fast team. Charlotte finished last season with the fifth-highest pace in the league; by contrast, the highest they ever finished in pace under Clifford was 10th, in 2018. In their two playoff seasons with Clifford, Charlotte finished 22nd (2014) and 18th (2016).

Clifford also made mention of Charlotte’s first round draft pick, Mark Williams. Clifford said that he had seen Williams while visiting Duke earlier this year, and in speaking of Williams said that he “just liked his whole approach. Bright, hard-working. He picked things up very quickly”.

Kupchak appears to believe in Clifford and has set the bar high with his remarks today, saying that the team’s goal is not only to make the playoffs, but to advance once they are there. For a franchise that has yet to win a playoff series since returning to the NBA in 2004, it is certainly a lofty goal.

However, if there is a coach capable of leading the team to the next level, the man who led them on their most successful run in recent history could be the man for the job.

The most noteworthy statement of the day came when Kupchak was asked about restricted free agent Miles Bridges’ future in Charlotte.

Resigning Bridges has always been the top priority for the offseason to be considered a success. Bridges led the team in scoring last season, while his 7.2 win shares were the highest of any Hornets player since Kemba Walker in 2019.

Tuesday’s introductory press conference provided a glimpse into the vision for Clifford’s second tenure in Charlotte. While the roster is entirely different from his first stint, Clifford’s familiarity with the job and his understanding of what it takes to win in Charlotte could prove to be the key to the Hornets returning to the playoffs.