Steve Clifford receives praise in NBA General Manager survey
The annual NBA GM Survey is a telltale sign of NBA basketball being near, and Charlotte Hornets fans will be happy to see that their team received praise in this year’s version of the survey.
Where were the Charlotte Hornets mentioned in the 2022 NBA App GM Survey?
Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford received the third-most votes for “Which new or relocated head coach will make the biggest impact on his new team”, registering 17% of the vote. Only Darvin Ham of the Los Angeles Lakers (48%) and Mike Brown of the Sacramento Kings (31%) earned a higher percent of the votes in this category.
The 2021-22 season marks the beginning of Clifford’s second tenure in Charlotte after guiding the team from 2013-14 through 2017-18. With a winning percentage of .478, Clifford has the fourth-highest winning percentage in Hornets history and the highest since the team returned to the NBA ahead of the 2004-05 season.
With 196 wins as the head coach of the Hornets, Clifford currently ranks second on the franchise’s all-time wins list behind Allan Bristow. He will look to pass Bristow’s 207 wins this season. Clifford is also the only Charlotte coach to win a playoff game since Paul Silas did so in the 2001-02 season.
Unfortunately, Clifford’s recognition marks the Hornets’ only recognition in this year’s GM survey, a stark contrast from the 2021 version. In that survey, the Hornets were voted third for “Which team will be most improved”, third for “Which team is the most fun to watch” and received votes for “Which team has the most promising young core”.
The Hornets also received praise for their 2021 draft selections, as both James Bouknight (third) and Kai Jones (received votes) were mentioned for “Which rookie was the biggest steal at where he was selected in the draft”. They did not receive this praise for their 2022 draft, and to make matters worse, Jalen Duren, who was technically drafted by the Hornets before being traded to the Pistons, was tied for first for “Which rookie was the biggest steal at where he was selected in the draft”.
What does the 2022 NBA App GM Survey mean for the Charlotte Hornets?
General managers around the NBA have shown that they like Steve Clifford’s chances with the Charlotte Hornets. How Clifford is able to handle a roster that those general managers find unremarkable will be found out in the weeks to come.