THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Steve Clifford, who coached the Charlotte Hornets to a pair of playoff berths in five seasons with the franchise, was hired to the same job Friday.

The Charlotte Hornets are casting their lot with Steve Clifford again.

Clifford, coach of the Bobcats/Hornets from 2013-18, was hired on Friday, four years after he was fired as Charlotte’s second-winningest coach with a 196-214 record. After Charlotte canned him, Clifford, who has a career record of 292-345, spent four seasons as Orlando’s head coach (2018-21) before spending last year as a Brooklyn Nets consultant.

Clifford succeeds James Borrego, who was sacked after four seasons, including a 43-39 campaign in 2021-22 that ended with a 29-point loss to Atlanta in the play-in round. The Hornets and Golden State assistant coach Kenny Atkinson had an agreement in principle to become coach, but Atkinson backed out before signing the contract.

“I’m happy to be returning to Charlotte, and I want to thank Michael Jordan, Mitch Kupchak and Buzz Peterson for this opportunity,” Clifford said in a statement. “This is an exciting young team with a lot of talented pieces. Charlotte is a great city and I know first-hand the passion that Hornets fans have for this franchise. I can’t wait to get back to town and start working with our players.”

Clifford has led his teams to the playoffs in four of his eight seasons – twice in Charlotte – and finished in the top 10 in both points allowed and defensive rating five times. The last time Charlotte qualified for the playoffs, in 2016, was with Clifford as head coach.

“We are pleased to welcome Steve back to our franchise,” Kupchak said. “We believe that his previous experience and coaching philosophy make him the best coach for our team. Steve has a proven track record of improving defenses and is detail oriented. He has a history of maximizing players’ talent and working with them to develop and expand their skill sets. Steve is committed to playing with the same offensive pace that our fans are accustomed to seeing the last few years. We are confident that he will be able to help our young players continue to grow as we look to take the next step as a team.”

In Clifford’s first season in Charlotte in 2013-14, the Hornets posted a 43-39 record, a 22-win improvement compared to the previous season and finished fourth in points allowed and fifth in defensive rating after ranking at the bottom a season earlier. In 2015-16, the Hornets went 48-34 – their best record since 1999-2000 – and earned the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Charlotte was also a more efficient offensive team during Clifford’s tenure, turning a squad mired in the bottom third in points per game and offensive rating in his first two seasons to ninth in offensive rating and 11th in points per game in 2015-16. They were one of four teams that season to finish in the top 12 in points per game, offensive rating, points per game allowed and defensive rating. The Hornets remained in the top half of the league in both offensive categories for each of Clifford’s final two seasons, increasing their scoring average by 14.0 points per game and their offensive rating by 9.3 from 2014-15 to 2017-18.

Clifford inherits a team with an athletic young core led by point guard LaMelo Ball, forward P.J. Washington and shooting guard Terry Rozier. Charlotte drafted former Duke center Mark Williams to address a long-term lack of rim protection and athleticism in the paint but must figure what to do with forward Miles Bridges, a restricted free agent who will likely command a massive pay increase. The Hornets can match any team’s offer sheet to Bridges or let him walk without compensation.
 

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