Nate McMillan will remain the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. After taking over as the interim head coach early in the season, McMillan got the young roster to come together and put together quite a season. With a strong regular season that put them as the fifth seed in the East, McMillan helped lead the Hawks to an Eastern Conference Finals appearance after facing a first-round exit as the Pacers head coach, which led to his firing in Indiana.
Shams Charania of The Athletic broke the news on Twitter and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN had the details. GM Travis Schlenk announced the news on a media call.
Nate McMillan and the Atlanta Hawks have an agreement in place for McMillan to be the team’s permanent head coach.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 5, 2021
Nate McMillan’s new deal as Atlanta Hawks coach is for four years, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 5, 2021
After leading Atlanta to a 37-19 record after taking over the head coaching job, it was clear that the Hawks would consider hiring him to a permanent position. Once the ECF came into the conversation, it was about a done deal.
Despite a great postseason run, the Hawks will be left wondering what could have been if Trae Young hadn’t rolled his ankle on a referee during the Conference Finals. The Bucks would go on to win without Giannis in six games and will take on the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals.
Going into next season, Atlanta should be a favorite in the East. Young started to have a bit of a coming-out party throughout the NBA Playoffs and will be heading into his fourth season as an NBA player. He is well on his way to becoming a perennial All-Star and the franchise player that could lead the Hawks to the NBA Finals someday. With Nate McMillan coaching on the sideline and a group of players that seem to have bought into the system he is building.
