Has head coach Nate McMillan lost the Atlanta Hawks squad?
The Atlanta Hawks have a losing record this season and despite a strong start against the Miami Heat, they lost another game by a big margin. The Hawks had another bad quarter, this time it was the third period against the Heat and they could not recover.
This had led some of the Hawks faithful to wonder if the team has stopped playing for the head coach, Nate McMillan. With the exception of the seven-game winning streak that came after the disastrous Western Conference road trip where they lost all five games, the Hawks have not been able to have any consistency to their play.
The Hawks have had some of the worst luck this season. They were unable to develop any chemistry in the preseason due to injury and then had an injury crisis scary similarly to last season. When that started to abate they had one of the worst Covid crises in the league. They are now fighting for relevance in the Eastern Conference with half the season to go.
So has Atlanta Hawks coach Nate McMillan lost his team?
This question has so many paths to the answer due to the nature of team sports. However, John Collins again came out with a level of frustration saying that he wants to be more involved in the offense. This is a good thing to know that your longest-tenured player who is being paid the most this season wants to take more responsibility during a tough stretch.
However, the problem for all involved is that the man with the plan has not had direct, face-to-face communication with some of his players for almost a month. McMillan was not able to see any of his players this year until just prior to the Heat game.
It is time for the Atlanta Hawks to unleash Sharife Cooper on the NBA. dark. Next
There is no way that the nuances of coaching can be conveyed over a Zoom call 3,000 miles away. It will not take long but he needs to re-establish some of his relationships and expectations with his players, hopefully getting back his full team in the process. So no, McMillan has not lost his squad, he is just bouncing from problem to problem, all of which have been out of his control.