Four reasons why Clifford will succeed or fail

Steve Clifford will fail because of his history with young players

One of the biggest criticisms of Clifford’s first run in Charlotte was his unwillingness to develop and play young players. That is something that cannot happen this time around.

Clifford expects the best from each player on the court. His tolerance for careless mistakes is low and that leads to him preffering a veteran player who players smart basketball over a young raw talent who could learn from some in-game mistakes.

Given that the Hornets were looking to win now during Clifford’s time as coach, it is easy to see why he shied away from giving players like Malik Monk playing time over players that were established in his system, even if they had less upside.

This team is a fresh start for Clifford who will be forced to play young unestablished players. This team is full of them. James Bouknight, Kai Jones, JT Thor, and Mark Williams will all be on the roster this season. Clifford is going to need to trust one or two of those guys to play consistent minutes, even if it is just for a short time.

Perhaps Clifford gets too much heat for his handling of young players in Charlotte. After all, the team’s drafting in those years was not exactly stellar. Malik Monk always had consistency issues, Cody Zeller was never anything more than a below-average starting center, and former first-round picks Noah Vonleh, PJ Hairston, and Frank Kaminsky are no longer on NBA rosters.

Clifford’s approach to development is different. He makes players earn their minutes. There is no room for error on the court with Clifford. That is why he focuses on not just developing young players, but established players as well.

"“I’ve seen this quote from a couple of people, ‘Player development is all about minutes.’ I would disagree with that, I would say player development is all about minutes earned,” Clifford said in an exclusive interview with Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer. “I think player development never stops. The best players in our league continue to develop as they get older. Hey listen, we want Melo to develop and Mark Williams to develop, and we also want the veteran guys to be in here working and improving weaknesses and making strengths bigger strengths,”"

Clifford is excited about the young talent on the current roster. He has spoken highly of first-round pick Mark Williams, and he even spent a weekend at Duke this past season to watch him play.

"“I like his approach, bright, hard-working, and those are all traits that are critical to make progress in this league,” Clifford said in his press conference."

There are a handful of players who played their best basketball under Steve Clifford. Al Jefferson, Kemba Walker, Terrence Ross, and Nikola Vucevic all played some of their best basketball under Clifford’s guidance. However, these players were established in the league when Clifford arrived. Only time will tell how successful Clifford can be in getting Charlotte’s young rookies and second-year players into a position to contribute to this team.