Atlanta Hawks: Is interim head coach Nate McMillan the right man next year?
The Atlanta Hawks have overperformed this season and a large part of that is due to the excellent work of Nate McMillan. Since he took over just prior to the All-Star break and he had the equal-best record in the Eastern Conference.
The team that equaled his record was the best team in the conference, the Philadelphia 76ers. This led to the Hawks qualifying directly for the playoffs in the fifth seed, taking on the New York Knicks in the first round. They took care of that matchup winning two road games and going 4-1.
They have played incredibly well in the 76ers series and, they are on the cusp of making the Eastern Conference Finals. However, there is still the interim tag next to his name. So due diligence required that we ask the question is McMillan the right man for the job next year given the number of quality coaches available.
Should the Atlanta Hawks even be looking for another head coach?
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The simple answer to this is yes. Any time a coach who has won an NBA championship becomes available, you have to take some notice. Rick Carlisle has stepped down from the Dallas Mavericks head coaching position, seemingly struggling to manage his relationship with Luka Doncic.
The relationship between the head coach and team star is crucial, particularly if that star happens to be the point guard. While Carlisle won a championship in 2011, he had a generational player in Dirk Nowitzki and a style of play that was very loose and therefore hard to plan for. The Hawks have shown this season that they have responded well to structure from McMillan.
The other high-quality, experienced coach available is Terry Stotts who stood down from the Portland Trail Blazers job at the end of this season. While he has shown that he can coach a guard-heavy lineup, there is no guarantee that he and Young would get the same connection.
The other coaches that have become available are Stan Van Gundy, Scott Brooks, Steve Clifford, and Nate Bjorkgren. None of them have the same coaching experience and resume that McMillan has which would give the Hawks no reason to entertain replacing McMillan with them.
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To put it simply, McMillan has turned this team around and has them playing at an incredibly high level. Imagine what he is going to be able to do with a full offseason, training camp, and then preseason with this squad. He is absolutely the right man for the job.