The Charlotte Hornets’ 2023-24 season ended on a good note as Steve Clifford won his final game before moving over to a front-office position. His second stint with the organization is worse than his first run, so it might have been a good idea for him to move on from the post.
His retirement from the sideline opens up an opportunity for coaches who are interested in coaching in the NBA. There are already a couple of names who expressed their interest in the position, with one of them potentially breaking new ground if hired.
However, the Hornets are making sure that they hire the right person for the job, and there are plenty of exciting candidates who are reportedly vying for the job.
3 new head coach candidates for the Charlotte Hornets job revealed
NBC Sports’ Kurt Helin detailed three new head-coaching candidates who can vie for the open Charlotte Hornets job.
The most eye-catching candidate out of the three is two-time All-Star Jerry Stackhouse. His last head-coaching stint was a five-year run with Vanderbilt in the SEC, with his most successful season being 2022-23 where the Commodores had a 22-15 record.
Helin also wrote about the other entries on his coaching CV:
Before taking the job with the Commodores, Stackhouse was an NBA assistant coach with the Memphis Grizzlies and the Toronto Raptors, plus he was the head coach of the 905 Raptors in the G-Leauge.
The next name on the list is Lakers assistant Jordan Ott, who has made a name for himself as a part of Darvin Ham’s coaching staff. He built his career after becoming a video coordinator for Steve Nash’s Brooklyn Nets and the Atlanta Hawks.
Royal Ivey is another former NBA player who cut out a career in coaching. Like his playing career, he’s been on a couple of rosters. He’s currently on the Houston Rockets, but he’s also worked for the New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Brooklyn Nets.
How will the new Charlotte Hornets head coach transform the team into a winning one?
There’s still no clear indication which coach will take over Clifford’s job, but they will have a tough task ahead of them in building the roster into a competitive basketball team.
They have an exciting core in Miles Bridges, Terry Rozier, and LaMelo Ball, but their franchise PG is often injured like his brother. The rest of the roster is a mish-mash of talent that struggled to gel throughout the season.
Whoever gets the nod to become the head coach must be able to transform the team within the next three years or they might lose their job.
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