According to reports, Nate McMillan and the Atlanta Hawks have parted ways before the team’s All-Star break return. McMillan and the Hawks have a 29-30 record so far this season as they continue to struggle.
The team’s two-game losing skid before the All-Star break, which left them in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. It was sufficient for McMillan to be fired. His record as the Hawks’ head coach stands at 99-80. Despite the fact that he and the squad had a poor season despite the addition of Dejounte Murray.
The Seattle SuperSonics, Portland Trail Blazers, and Indiana Pacers were among the NBA teams McMillan managed before joining the Atlanta staff as head coach Lloyd Pierce’s assistant in 2020–21. In March of that year, the Hawks fired Pierce and replaced him with McMillan. The Hawks hired McMillan on a full-time basis following their unexpected run to the Eastern Conference finals. Which included a victory against the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the second round.
Because of Trae Young’s performance, the club, under his direction, made a great run in the 2021 playoffs. The team has underperformed this year after losing in the first round last year. They presently have the 14th best offensive efficiency. But their defensive efficiency places them in the bottom half of the league.
Now that Saddiq Bey has been added to the squad, the team is hoping to have a strong second half of the season. It will be interesting to watch if McMillan’s departure leads to a change inside the team in the interim. Also Read: NBA and Chinese finance firm Ant Group have formed a strategic collaboration
Who will take over as the Hawks’ head coach after Nate McMillan?
On Tuesday, the Atlanta Hawks made the announcement that Nate McMillan, their head coach, had been sacked. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, assistant coach Joe Prunty is anticipated to take over in the interim.
Since the 2020–21 season, McMillan, 58, has been the head coach in Atlanta. The 29-30 Hawks will finish seventh in the Eastern Conference after the All-Star break. According to the Wojnarowski, the Hawks will look for a permanent head coach while Prunty will serve as the team’s interim leader. Quin Snyder, a former head coach of the Jazz, Charles Lee, and Kenny Atkinson, an assistant coach for the Bucks and the Warriors, are other candidates. Also Read: NBA Rumours: After Jazz’s buyout, the Clippers to sign Russell Westbrook
Why was Nate McMillan let go by the Hawks?
General manager Landry Fields, who recently received a promotion, said in a statement: “Decisions like this, especially during the season, are always very challenging, but we believe it’s in the best interest of our club to move forward with another voice guiding the way.”
The Hawks’ stagnation could be attributed to tension between McMillan and Trae Young. Young and McMillan were “handling simmering tensions,” according to a December story in The Athletic. Which also stated that an incident between the two resulted in Young missing a game.
In 2021, they said that Young was “on board” with the decision to fire Pierce, making McMillan the second coach to be fired mid-season in part because of the Hawks’ star point guard.
The Hawks will be hoping that Prunty can inspire the same turnaround that McMillan did two years ago, but if he is not the team’s long-term answer, there are reportedly other choices.
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