Two months into his return, the whirlwind has slowly settled down for Steve Clifford.
Clifford couldn’t exactly ease into his job as the Charlotte Hornets coach after coming on board on June 24, mere hours after the NBA draft and days before the start of free agency. He’s had a flurry of tasks to complete since, including arranging chats with his new players, assembling a staff of assistants and devising a strategy to squeeze as much as possible out of a roster with little turnover this offseason.
As training camp rapidly approaches, Clifford is pleased with where things stand leading into these final three weeks before the Hornets truly get going with preseason preparations.
“I feel like it’s been a productive summer,” Clifford told The Charlotte Observer. “When you take over obviously and there is transition, there’s a lot: getting more comfortable with the players, hiring a staff and then trying to formulate a plan that would lead to both success in how the game’s being played in the NBA right now and also so that we can play to the strengths of our best players.
“And that’s what we are doing. I feel we are good. We are putting the final touches on our plan here. We’ve got a chance to spend a good amount of time with the players. We’ve had a lot of guys in the gym here. So going into September, we need to have a good month before training camp starts. But it’s been good so far. Very positive.”
With that hefty portion of players spending the summer training in town, it gave Clifford an opportunity to mix in brainstorming sessions with them as they also get better acquainted. In their short time together, Clifford is already noticing some qualities that have him excited to get down to work.
“Yeah, what I see so far is we have a large group of serious-minded, committed players,” Clifford said. “And there is nothing more important than that. To find a way to play where you can have a chance to win every night. Home, road. Elite teams, good teams, you have to have a lot of talent and a lot of guys who are on the same page.
“And from what I’ve seen with the number of guys that have been here and visiting guys who have been working out in other places, we have guys who are workers, who have good purpose to what they are doing. On the floor, in the weight room with the way they are taking care of themselves and are committed to their game so they can have good seasons.”
Clifford spoke exclusively with The Observer about a number of topics, including what he thinks will motivate LaMelo Ball this season, the benefit of having so many returning players, what the team has to do to become a more consistent winner and more.
Roderick Boone: You obviously weren’t here for the play-in tournament loss, but do you sense they are motivated and driven to not only be a better team this year, but at least get to the playoffs?
Steve Clifford: To be honest with you, (with) that part you can’t skip any steps. So what I’m focused on is those things. Getting to know them, talking to them a lot about what their strengths are, what areas they can work on to get better. What kind of game that we need to play to, again, give ourselves a chance to win every single night. And then the work part. Just putting the work in. Purposeful work so that they all have a chance to have the best possible season. And then as we get more into training camp, then I think it’s more goal-setting and the team part of it.
RB: Is it fun for you to figure everything out on the fly so to speak after coming on board? How do you feel about trying to put your stamp on the team rapidly?
SC: I think it’s the fun part. It’s a lot of film work. Working with the coaches, we meet every day, (discuss) different aspects of the game. And then as much time as I can getting to know the players. What I’m hoping is by the time we start, that we will all have somewhat of a comfort level with each other because one of the advantages that we have is we have so many guys coming back. So, there was a lot of good that we are going to build on on both ends of the floor. And I want to take those things that guys are comfortable with and have been successful with and build on that. And then like any other team, there’s things that we need to do better, and we need to have a good plan for that also.
RB: How have things gone in your time spent with LaMelo, picking his brain and getting to know him over the last two-plus months?
SC: He’s been great. He’s been here almost the whole summer. He likes to be in the gym. He works hard both on the court and in the weight room. I’ve enjoyed getting to know him, and I think that he’s ready or in a good place to get off to a good start. I mean, I think he’s done all the right things this summer, and I’ve been really impressed with him.
RB: What do you think is the next step for LaMelo? What does that look like?
SC: (With) player development, the misconception is they only get better when they are young. The better players have a goal, have a plan for every summer to get better no matter how old they are. And that’s what he’s doing. He has his things in different areas that he’s been working on. But I think the biggest thing for him — and I think he would tell you the same thing — is team success. The best players ultimately in our league are always judged by how well their team does. And I know he’s motivated for us to be a playoff team, which would be a good step. And I think in talking with him, that seems to be his vision.
RB: You mentioned earlier that the team has its share of youth. How important is it for the young returning players to have improved and be ready when their number is called this season?
SC: There’s a number of guys who have bright futures and they have a good approach. A lot of that will be played out and we will see. One of the things about not having coached these guys — I’ve watched a lot of film — there is the individual part of our sport, right? The scoring, rebounding, playmaking part, the numbers part. And then there’s the team. There’s a lot of guys that can put up numbers in basketball, but the team doesn’t function well when they are on the court. So that’s the part that will keep playing out as we move forward.
RB: The schedule came out a few weeks ago. Do you usually look for anything in particular when you initially see it to break it down?
SC: I think you have to be careful how much … Obviously, you look at it. I think we are on the road a lot to start the season. But at the end of the day, we all play the same schedule basically and I think you have to be careful about getting caught up in, ‘This is a tough stretch.’ Or, ‘That’s an easier stretch’ or whatever it is. What you have to do over 82 games is you have to develop a way to play that gives you a chance for success every night. What wins in the NBA is balance.
You’ve got to be good on offense, you’ve got to be good on defense, you’ve got to be good at rebounding. Those are the teams that win. That’s been proven year after year after year. Our game has changed a lot, but what hasn’t changed is that. You can go back 20 years. If you look at the teams that go deep into the playoffs — almost every year, there’s been some outliers — but usually they are teams that are, say, top 10 in offense or defense and then maybe top 12, maybe 13, 14 in other areas.
And that’s how you win. And that’s what you have to concentrate on — concentrate on your team, where you are at and what you need to do to get better. To me, I think when you start looking ahead too much you’re thinking about the wrong stuff.
RB: What are some things that you learned in your previous stops since your first stint in Charlotte that you could help now in your second?
SC: Well, the game has changed a lot. I guess if you want to go back to nine, 10 years ago when I started here last time, the game is a lot different now than it was then. And then again, the thing that is the same is how it’s played, so there are definitely different things. ... Defenses are different, offenses are different. But the one thing that stays the same is you’ve got to be able to play well in all aspects.
If you wanted to get into specifics, whether it’s pick-and-roll offense or pick-and-roll defense or whatever it is, then those parts are a lot different. But the general idea or general challenge of what you’ve got to get your group to do is, again, you’ve got to be able to play well in all aspects of the game.
RB: Lastly, Miles Bridges is facing a legal case and things are still pending. What if anything can you say about his status at the moment?
SC: With the legalities involved, I can’t discuss that at all. I’m just not in a place where I can do that.
