After being swept in the NBA playoffs for the third time in four years, and a fourth-straight first round exit, the Indiana Pacers have relieved former NC State guard Nate McMillan of his head coaching duties.
As head coach of the Pacers, McMillan posted a 183-136 record, good for a 57% winning percentage. While good on paper, his 3-16 record in the playoffs factored greatly into the decision.
For some, this was a curious decision by the Pacers. While his playoff record was not great, he managed to overperform each season he was head coach. In his first season as head coach, he inherited a Pacers roster that was struggling to transition in the wake of star Paul George’s public trade request.
Eight of his 13 most used players in that same season aren’t even in the league anymore. That same team was swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the biggest margin of loss by the Pacers in that series was just six points.
The next year, George was traded in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, two players that became All-Stars with the Pacers. This team also overperformed, won 48 games and even took the Cavaliers to seven games, despite eventually losing.
In the following two seasons, McMillan led the Pacers to 93 total wins. However, in the 2018-19 season, Oladipo was injured, and the team stood no chance in the playoffs with its star missing. This season, Sabonis was missing, and Oladipo was not at full health. The team was also missing a key rotation piece in Jeremy Lamb and the team was often injured all season.
Despite valid context in each series loss, McMillan is on the way out.
“This was a very hard decision for us to make,” said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard, in a press release. “But we feel it’s in the best interest of the organization to move in a different direction.”
Now, the Pacers will immediately begin searching for a head coach to lead them into a new era, with Houston Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni as a leading candidate.
The organization has many questions to answer, including what to do with Oladipo and whether or not Sabonis and center Myles Turner can coexist in a frontcourt together.
