"Player Development is About Minutes Earned" - Understanding Steve Clifford's Player Development Philosophy
Following Monday's 130-118 loss to the Boston Celtics head coach Steve Clifford was asked by the Observer's Scott Fowler if he would consider "Flipping a switch" and say the season is now "Mostly about developing the young guys". Clifford gave an insightful, detailed answer breaking down his philosophy on player development hinting at how the rest of the year might play out.
This is what the fans don't see, they have a chance every day. Tomorrow, the guys that are here (Younger players) play every day (In practice/shootaround), they play live and I watch closely and we film it. I think sometimes there's this misconception that when guys aren't playing minutes they don't have chance to be seen, nothing could be further from the truth.
I've had agents tell me, the biggest problem that happened with him is he was a top 10 pick and they played him whether he tried hard or didn't play hard (Clifford is believed to be referring to Mo Bamba in Orlando). Their first experience is everything, it sets the tone for what their view of the NBA is in terms of work and accountability of play.
It is a common misconception from fans that Charlotte's young players aren't being give any opportunity. They have a chance every day to prove their worth through everything they do; arriving on time, attentiveness in film sessions, knowing the scouting report and their level of play in 3 on 3 scrimmages during shootaround. This is never seen by fans and reports rarely come out to the media but be re-assured it does happen.
There is some risk with this approach which must be acknowledged. Going from being a key player on their team their entire life to not playing at all can severely effect you. Physically, in the past they won't have ever needed to do "Extra sessions" to stay in shape with playing games regularly, so it requires a different type of dedication to staying physically fit. But mentally is where there is the biggest challenge, by not playing players can become disengaged, feel disconnected or lose confidence in their ability. The latter of course goes both ways, as playing when you're clearly not ready and struggling can lead to low confidence issues, there's a happy middle ground to be found. The challenge this poses doesn't effect everyone, the mentally toughest can often push through. Back in the 90s and 00s most rookies expected to face a steep learning curve and limited playing time when they reached the NBA. However, recent generations have been told their entire life they're "Destined" to the league and have been priortized at every step often facing very little adversity. When they do reach the NBA and face not being in the rotation for the first time in their life, not everyone handles the disappointment and frustration in the best way.
Clifford went onto reflect at the general approach to player development in Charlotte, something he is very supportive of:
The other argument is, I've read articles where general managers will say "You can't develop players without minutes played", I would totally disagree with that. I would say that player development is about minutes earned.
One thing I do like about here, love about here (Charlotte) is that Mitch (Kupchak) is old school and nobody is more old school than Michael (Jordan). We don't have one guy on our roster that can complain that he's not playing, not one, if you're truthful. They have all had a chance. Some of them did a lot better than others, those are the guys who are still getting a chance. The other guys who didn't play well we have Greensboro, we have practices, we have shootarounds. They know how I feel, I talk to them very directly.
The push back from with this case is there's plenty of examples in the NBA were the "New school" approach of playing young guys no matter what has succeeded. Look at OKC who have given huge minutes to Pokusevski, Giddey, Jalen + Jaylin Williams all as rookies, they have developed well and are now contributing to a competitive performing team. Look at Memphis, 2nd in the Western conference while playing the likes of Santi Aldama, David Roddy, Ziaire Williams and Jake LaRavia. If other teams can do it, why can't Charlotte? Maybe the real issue here is the young players on the roster aren't at the same level, something Clifford would never publicly say.
The point Clifford makes about earning minutes is something that strongly resonates with me as a coach. If you gift someone playing time who clearly doesn't deserve it, you undermine any level of trust with the rest of your team. Imagine you're playing on a basketball team, you're playing well and then all of a sudden you're dropped for the guy who's been the worst player in training and sometimes turns up late. The coach tells you "I think he COULD be better than you in 4 years so I want to play him now". You would be pissed, as would your teammates who can see you have been unfairly treated. That's why players need to earn their opportunity, they need to gain the respect of their peers and only then should the coach consider making a change.
Clifford finished his point clearly summarising his view
That's my opinion, it would be very difficult for me for you to argue that a guy can't get better if he doesn't play.
So what does that mean for the rest of the season? Nothing will change, Steve Clifford has been coaching basketball longer than I've been alive, he's not changing his philosophy now. Don't expect McGowens, Jones and Bouknight to be gifted any minutes. The only way I see the likes of Plumlee, Rozier and Hayward not being in the rotation if healthy are if they're traded. If Mitch Kupchak wants to see the younger players get that opportunity, then he knows what he needs to do.
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