After the Charlotte Hornets failed to advance past the play-in tournament two years in a row, general manage felt the team had made progress under head coach James Borrego, so he chose to bring in a new coach almost two years  . However, his job was finally lost due to his terrible performance in each of the play-in games.

The Hornets had to do a second search in the same summer following the entire Kenny Atkinson fiasco, and they ultimately signed Steve Clifford to a short-term contract. Many saw this as Clifford returning the favor after Atkinson turned him down, but it was also the Hornets’ way of giving Clifford another shot at being an NBA head coach.

Sadly, neither Clifford nor the Hornets have gotten the results they had hoped for from their second marriage. Clifford’s record to date after coming back to Charlotte is 35-79 (.307). Sometimes the record leaves out important details. If you don’t keep up with the Hornets, you’re undoubtedly thinking that a coaching change is necessary based on their current record. If you do comprehend the circumstances, Clifford is in a difficult position since, during this second tenure, he hasn’t received much of a fair deal.

Sadly, neither Clifford nor the Hornets have gotten the results they had hoped for from their second marriage. Clifford’s record to date after coming back to Charlotte is 35-79 (.307). Sometimes the record leaves out important details. If you don’t keep up with the Hornets, you’re undoubtedly thinking that a coaching change is necessary based on their current record. If you do comprehend the circumstances, Clifford is in a difficult position since, during this second tenure, he hasn’t received much of a fair deal.

The Hornets have started games with three, and occasionally even four, starters missing on multiple occasions. Any NBA roster that loses so many important players is going to struggle. In the past year and a half, Clifford has had the entire boat open for games that you could probably count on two hands. No coach is going to be successful in that scenario with a young squad like Charlotte’s.

Clifford’s bad situation is that he is essentially in the final year of his contract. He has an option to return to the club in 2024–2025, but it’s likely that they’d prefer to start over entirely now that new ownership is in place.