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The Hornets have not exactly taken the NBA by storm this season, and head coach Steve Clifford didn’t mince words when he offered some insight into why the team has failed to hold its own with the rest of the league.
The Charlotte Hornets haven’t been able to punch their ticket to the playoffs since 2016, and if you want to put their struggles into perspective, you should consider the franchise hasn’t advanced past the first round of the postseason since 2002—a few years before they rebranded to the Bobcats before reverting to their original name.
In 2022, Steve Clifford was hired to replace James Borrego, the man who had taken the Hornets job Clifford had previously held for seven seasons before Charlotte kicked him to the curb in 2018 to end a seven-year stint where he posted a record of 196–214.
The franchise hasn’t exactly experienced a miraculous turnaround in the wake of his return, as the team went 27-55 last season and is currently on pace to lower the bar after dropping to 10-36 against the Bulls on Wednesday night to extend their current losing streak to five games.
The Hornets have been forced to grapple with the chronic ankle injuries that have played a role in LaMelo Ball missing close to 25 games over the course of the current campaign, so while they’ve obviously been impacted by the loss of their best player, that only does so much to explain their struggles.
Following the loss to Chicago, Clifford got the chance to shed some light on the biggest issue the Hornets are facing, and he essentially admitted the players he’s been tasked with coaching don’t have the skills required to be competitive in the NBA.
“Our problems aren’t their effort, their work, how much they wanna win. Our problem is that we’re under talented.”
Steve Clifford on the reasons for their losses this season. pic.twitter.com/IhK8vMjkEX
— Jerry Donatien (@JerryDonatien) February 1, 2024
Here’s what he had to say:
“Our problems aren’t their effort, their work, how much they wanna win. Listen: we’re undertalented.
There’s nothing wrong with telling them that. They do have to play well. They have no room for error. We can’t make mistakes. When we practice, we need to have great reps and there needs to be great carryover to the game…
Right now, if we’re not pretty good, we’re not beating anybody. That’s just where we’re at.”
Clifford noted he wasn’t saying anything he hadn’t already told his players and asserted they’re not going to respect him if he’s not willing to be candid when it comes to evaluating the roots of the team’s issues, and it does sort of feel like he’s making a public appeal to the front office for some much-needed help.
It’s kind of refreshing to hear an NBA coach say “These guys just aren’t that good at basketball,” but that doesn’t make it any less surprising.