A new era is about to start for the Charlotte Hornets next season. The squad will try all the options to get back into playoff contention and it all starts with head coaching. Coach Steve Clifford does not have much to show for his stint with the Lamelo Ball-led squad. So, a departure is looming in the offseason. Who replaces him? Well, it looks like a great NBA G League mind will cross over next season. Will Stockton Kings head coach Lindsey Harding make history?
The Hornets are considering acquiring Lindsey Harding as their new head honcho next season, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Interview permissions were just given to the Hornets such that they could see if the NBA G League Coach of the Year fits their system.
Lindsey Harding is also not the only person who is in consideration to replace Steve Clifford. Four assistant head coaches will also be vying for this position. David Adelman from the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns' Kevin Young, Jordi Fernandez out of the Sacramento Kings, and Boston Celtics assistant Charles Lee are also set for interviews with the Hornets.
Something sets the NBA G League head honcho apart. Her experience and ability to lead players are likely her edge in being the next Hornets head honcho. She just led the Kings to a Western Conference Finals berth after an insane roller coaster of a season. They also finished first in the conference with a 24-win and 10-loss record.
The best thing the Hornets could draw out of Harding is her two-way effectiveness. The Kings were ranked third in offensive rating (120.9) and third in defensive rating (113.1). Moreover, she also helped the squad notch a net rating of +7.8 which is good for third in the NBA G League. A lot of this stems from the fact that her schemes only allow opponents to score 106.4 points per game which sits the Kings second out of 31 teams.
Hornets on the hunt
It just has not been the best season for Coach Steve Clifford. They got bit by the injury bug badly with Seth Curry, Cody Martin, and Lamelo Ball all suffering from ankle issues. Mark Williams, the Hornets' up-and-coming big man will also not be able to return due to a back injury.
Whenever the Hornets did have a serviceable squad, they just could not compete at a high level. At the moment, they have only snagged 19 wins for the season while also enduring 59 entries in the loss column. Their horrid schemes on both ends are at fault for this. The Hornets have only managed to score an average of 106.4 points per contest which clocks them in at 29th out of 30 teams in the NBA. The defense was also not their strong suit. Their defensive rating of 120.8 has them sitting at 27th in the association.
With this, Steve Clifford has decided to step down for the sake of the Hornets. While they are already looking for other options, this squad still has four games left in the season. Hopefully, they will be able to end strong.
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