Whenever an organization takes a sudden change in direction, as the Orlando Magic recently have, the position of the head coach is usually the first to come under the microscope. There are only 30 head coach gigs in the league, and there are hundreds, if not thousands who deserve their chance.
The Magic were a team that was on a clear, albeit predictable, path at the start of the season. One which was going to once again see them make the postseason, before not doing much else. That would have marked the third playoff appearance in a row for them, and given the absolute depths they had sunk to in the last decade, that would have been viewed as something to celebrate.
Instead, injuries took hold, before the Magic blew it all up at the trade deadline. What we are left with now is a whole heap of promise for the future, and that’s it. There has been one constant throughout the postseason berths, the positive start to the year and where the franchise find themselves now. That is head coach Steve Clifford, who could be on the hot seat soon.
Steve Clifford deserves a vote of confidence from the Orlando Magic front office
That might seem an odd stance to take, and there are two key reasons for that. The first is that coach Clifford was brought in to take a young team with modest upside back to the playoffs. He achieved this twice, just like he did with his previous employers, the Charlotte Hornets. Maximizing a roster’s potential is something Clifford is very good at, and he has a proven track record of it.
The Magic probably aren’t aiming for the playoffs for another year or two after this current season now, as they instead try to build up their exciting young core. It might happen anyway, especially if Markelle Fultz and Jonathan Isaac come back and hit the ground running, but there are no guarantees. So right now, what Clifford can do is at odds with what the Magic want.
The second reason is that Clifford also doesn’t have a history of trusting in youth or playing rookies all of the time so that they can make mistakes and learn. Granted, he doesn’t have much of a choice now because of the trades made and the injuries the roster has. But he still leans on guys like James Ennis III and Michael Carter-Williams when he can.
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Both fine players who could play for other teams in the league, but neither of which are key foundational pieces for the future. Unlike Wendell Carter Jr. or maybe even Mohamed Bamba. We know that between Fultz, Isaac, Carter Jr., R.J. Hampton, Cole Anthony and Chuma Okeke that this roster is going to be young and green for a bit, which is not where Clifford excels.
But if you look beyond both of these very valid reasons as to why he should make way for another coach to grow with the young roster, then you will see there are even more compelling reasons to keep him in place. This case is built around Clifford’s excellent attention to defensive detail, and how that can impact the guys on the team.
If you look at the best-case scenario here, the Magic winning a first-ever championship with most of this young core, it is highly likely Clifford wouldn’t be around to see it. Much like Mark Jackson wasn’t once the Golden State Warriors got themselves over the top. But the defensive schemes and detail that Clifford is working with them on each day would be hugely beneficial.
It is these sound fundamentals defensively that had the team competitive on a lot of nights in the past, and which also helped to make All-Star center Nikola Vucevic less of a negative on that end. Something which Chicago Bulls fans are figuring out since he joined their team.
I really hope fans watch the process of the entire defensive coverage and not just the shot that goes up.
— Mark K (@mkhoops) April 11, 2021
These shots are happening over Vucevic, but his defense is not the root cause here -- just as it wasn't earlier this season when Carter, Gafford where dropping
There is no harm at all in young players learning how to defend at a high level. It will stand to them in the future. In fact, the worst aspect of it at the moment is how Clifford is still managing to be competitive in some of the games this undermanned roster is playing in when the goal is to lose as much as possible to get a high draft pick.
To add to this point regarding defending, the Magic for a long time before Clifford came in had no culture at all. It was just a load of guys trying to play together to win. We’re not saying Aaron Gordon was right in everything he said on his way out the door to Denver, but he may have had a point about some things.
We can say with certainty that coach Clifford has created a culture, and although it was personified by Vucevic, there is no reason why Isaac or Carter Jr. can’t take over this role in the future. Finally, it is easy to think the grass is always greener, but that is not the case. The Magic once had a head coach in Frank Vogel who did not work out at all.
In between a poor two-year stint with a rebuilding team, he was highly successful with the Indiana Pacers and won a championship last season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Fit matters, and to this point, the fit between Clifford and the Magic has been good. There is no need to get rid of what has been built so soon, even if the direction has changed. Coach Clifford still brings so much to the table for the Orlando Magic.