Steve Clifford receives three-year contract extention with Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets made the right and smart move with their head coach Steve Clifford.

The Hornets and Clifford agreed to terms on a three-year extension that will keep Clifford in Charlotte beyond this season, a person familiar with agreement told Paste BN Sports.

The person requested anonymity because the deal has not been announced officially by the team.

Clifford is a fantastic coach and has made the Hornets a better and more competitive team in his two-plus seasons, going 43-39 with a playoff appearance in 2013-14 and 33-49 last season in a step back that was not Clifford’s fault.

The Hornets are 8-6 this season and have a top-five offense and through the first month of the season. They are No. 7 in net efficiency rating and Clifford no doubt wants to see defensive improvement from a team led by center Al Jefferson, guard Kemba Walker and forward Nic Batum and improved play from reserves.

Clifford is a strong believer in the benefit of defensive rebounding, and the Hornets lead the NBA in defensive rebounding percentage – the percentage of defensive rebounds a team obtains – at 80.8% ahead of the San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers.

The son of a basketball coach, Clifford, 54, is a no-nonsense coach from the Van Gundy coaching tree – an assistant for Jeff Van Gundy with Houston and New York and an assistant Stan Van Gundy with Orlando.

He has instilled a defensive mindset and a culture of hard work and accountability in Charlotte, and he has players who embrace those principles and lead by example.