Incoming coach Nate Bjorkgren is expected to choose his own staff of assistants, though the Indiana Pacers may help in that area, according to J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star.
Part of the reason for that, Michael noted, was because of the multiple candidates team president Kevin Pritchard and the Pacers have already interviewed.
Bjorkgren spent the previous two seasons as an assistant under Nick Nurse with the Toronto Raptors, winning a championship in 2019. Michael confirmed Bjorkgren’s hiring as Pacers coach on Tuesday.
Bjorkgren replaces Nate McMillan, emerging from a list of candidates that reportedly included former Houston Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni, former NBA guard Chauncey Billups and current New Orleans Pelicans assistant Chris Finch.
“The one thing the Pacers were determined to NOT do with this hire was settle on a ‘retread’ coach,” Michael reported. “That was the safe route and those options were basically off the table when they went through the process of elimination, I’m told. Settled on Bjorkgren over the weekend.”
