A Closer Look At The Charlotte Hornets’ Deadliest Duo

Does a system make the player, or the player make the system?

That question remains unanswered, even as the NBA approaches tip off of its 69th season.

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Was the triangle offense what allowed

to put up the numbers that he did? Is the case the same for

? What were Erik Spoelstra’s contributions to the Heat’s four trips to the NBA Finals?  Is

holding the Thunder back from championship?

There is no clear-cut ratio when it comes to weighing the impact of player vs. coach, but it is widely accepted that both play a major role in determining the success of any given team.

With that said, who can be credited for the Charlotte Hornets’ (then-Bobcats) turnaround last year? After a lackluster 2012-13 season that saw only 21 wins, the team was able to more than double their total last year, finishing with a record of 43-39. On paper, the group looked fairly similar to the one from the year prior, with the exception of two new faces: center Al Jefferson, and head coach Steve Clifford.

The former has been a consistent 20-plus point scoring threat night in and night out since his sophomore season, and thanks to a soft touch and unrivaled craftiness, the best low-post player in basketball.

Jefferson’s deal last summer was big, amounting to $43 million over three years. At the time of the signing, general consensus was that Michael Jordan and Co. had overpaid for the veteran big’s services. Now though, after a stellar 22 point-11 rebound season, it has become inherently clear that if Jefferson is getting overpaid, its marginally.

Big Al led the Bobcats in field goal percentage, rebounding, and scoring. Widely regarded as last season’s biggest All-Star Game snub, the 29-year-old center averaged 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Even against some of the best bigs in the East–Roy Hibbert, Joakim Noah, Brook Lopez, Chris Bosh–Jefferson dominated the paint. As far as head-to-head match ups go, Jefferson had a net rating of +7.1.

But then again, seeing Al Jefferson thrive on an individual level is nothing new. He has averaged at least 16.0 points per game in eight of his ten years, yet despite that, last season was just the third time his club qualified for the playoffs. Even in 2008-09, his best individual campaign in which he averaged 23.1 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, his Timberwolves were a horrendous 24-58.

Part of this is the fact that he isn’t a two-way player, like many of the league’s other stars. Jefferson’s offensive talent is unquestioned, but the defense has been an area of concern throughout his lengthy career. Standing at six-foot-ten and weighing in at about 290 pounds, the husky center is somewhat immobile.

Slow feet and poor instincts make him an awful pick and roll defender, and although his footwork offensively is superb, his hedging is awkward and off-balance. He isn’t a shot blocker, and really, until last year, he was considered one of the biggest defensive liabilities in the NBA.

So how did it change?

Enter Steve Clifford.

Clifford took the head-coach reins for the first time in his career this past season. He had served as an assistant with the Houston Rockets, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, and Los Angeles Lakers prior to his hiring last summer, and had developed a reputation as a defensive specialist.

During his time with the Magic and Lakers, Clifford worked closely with Dwight Howard, really helping him further progress as a defensive anchor.

Obviously, Jefferson doesn’t possess anything close to the athletic talent that Howard does, but regardless, Clifford’s system was able to mask both of their defensive deficiencies. The Bobcats defense was only 0.6 points worse (per 100 posessions) with Al on the floor. Comparatively, the season prior, the Utah Jazz’ defense was 9.3 points worse with Jefferson in the lineup.

Clifford’s system also allowed Jefferson to improve as an individual defender. With the Jazz in 2012-2013, Jefferson’s defensive rating was 99.4. With the Bobcats last year, that improved to 96.2. His defensive rebounding percentage improved by nearly five percent from the year prior, and he allowed 223 fewer points.

The player-coach dynamic is certainly more complex than any outsider could imagine, but as last year’s Bobcats demonstrated, if the star and the head coach have the type of mutualistic relationship that Jefferson and Clifford do, exceeding expectations is no difficult task.