What does Nate McMillan’s extension mean for the Indiana Pacers?
There had been speculation in the bubble that these could be the final games of Nate McMillan’s tenure as the head coach of the Indiana Pacers. Jeff Van Gundy on the Lowe Post, a podcast presented by Zach Lowe of ESPN, had stated he heard from two people in the bubble that Nate McMillan was in trouble and Lowe replied with “It’s been the hottest rumor all year.”
McMillan has only one year left on his contract and that’s normally the time you fire or extend a head coach in the NBA. With multiple first-round exits and a discombobulated offense at times, some Pacers fans were hoping for a new face.
I woke up this morning to check twitter to find out the rumors had finally been put to rest. A tweet from Woj flashed across my screen and it read:
ESPN Sources: Indiana Pacers coach Nate McMillan has agreed on a contract extension. https://t.co/btfZFQHvht
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 12, 2020
This is a very interesting move for the Pacers as why do this now? Maybe to extinguish the rumors and tell the NBA universe this is our guy?
To the dismay of Pacers fans who wanted a new face in the locker room, McMillan is a very good coach, making this a good move for the Indiana Pacers. During his four years with the Pacers, McMillan has had a winning season in each. What some fans have a problem with is his playoff record during his time in Indiana.
He has yet to win a first-round series. In his three postseasons, he had met LeBron James twice, being swept once and taking him to Game 7 another time, and being swept by the Boston Celtics without his best player. This year is the same exact story. The Pacers will be heading into the playoffs again without their best player, this time it being Domantas Sabonis.
The good and bad of McMillan
The positives that McMillan brings to this team is why he was extended. During his four years, McMillan had two 50-win seasons and was well on his way to a third before the NBA hit the pause button on the season. And that was without Victor Oladipo for most of the season.
Coaching in a small market with a team that has been known not to be big spenders is impressive to have nearly back to back-to-back 50-win seasons. This is always why Nate’s name is highly regarded amongst the coach’s circle in the NBA. He also is a player-coach being able to connect with players at a high level. If you’re an NBA head coach you have to be an amazing motivator and that’s what Nate brings to the table.
The bad is obviously the offensive side of the basketball. The defense has always been great because of assistant coach Dan Burke, but the offense a lot of the time has been lackluster. The Pacers are a team that looks to get fast-break opportunities, but once in the halfcourt, it falls apart.
The Pacers live off mid-range jump shots in halfcourt sets whether that’s coming from T.J. Warren or Sabonis. This season has been a little bit better due to the fact there are more 3-point shooters on the team but in a league that has gone 3-point shot or layup, the Pacers have kept it “ old school.”
With the extension now official, there are a few things that should be noted. First and foremost, Nate McMillan is a really good coach. He’s a top 10, depending on who you ask, and deserves a shot with a fully healthy Pacers.
Secondly, the Pacers made the smart move of locking up their coach with the future of the league in question. No one knows what the financial repercussions of the pandemic are yet or how this will affect the team’s pocketbooks. It wouldn’t make sense for a team like the Pacers to fire a coach with a year left, pay him, and then dish out more money for a new coach that may or may not even get the same results.
Third, I’m not sure which coach out there would really push the Pacers over the top that would be available. For the time being, the Pacers have a man that will keep this team competitive. This gives the Pacers one less thing to worry about in the offseason when multiple distractions are heading their way.