According to Marc Stein, the Hawks are close to hiring former Pacers head coach Nate McMillan as their next assistant coach under Lloyd Pierce.
The Hawks are nearing a deal to hire former Pacers coach Nate McMillan as an assistant coach on Lloyd Pierce's staff, league sources say
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) November 4, 2020
McMillan is the type of former player that was made to coach. After retiring from the NBA, he immediately became an assistant coach for the SuperSonics, where he played his entire career. Two years later, he was the head coach in Seattle. Five years later, he moved on to become the head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Trail Blazers were one of the worst teams in the league when McMillan took over, but he turned them into a playoff contender in just a couple of seasons. Once he was finished in Portland, he joined the Pacers staff as an assistant head coach, and after three seasons, he was once again a head coach in the NBA for Indiana. With the Pacers, he made the postseason four straight years in the Eastern Conference, but after failing to get out of the first round, he was fired after losing to the Heat in the playoffs.
McMillan now joins the Hawks, and there really isn’t anything negative you can say about this move from Atlanta’s perspective. They add another coach with a ton of head coaching experience, that has also played in the league. One thing to keep an eye on is McMillan perhaps being Pierce’s successor. If the Hawks underachieve and miss the playoffs this upcoming season, perhaps McMillan is next in line to be the head coach in Atlanta.
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Photo: Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire
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