
The Indiana Pacers plan to fire Nate Bjorkgren according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Pacers hired Bjorkgren on October 20, 2020, and over the course of the season led Indiana to a 34-38 record. The Pacers did not make the playoffs. Bjorkgren was preceded by Nate McMillan who served in the role from 2016-2020.
After missing the playoffs, the Pacers were clearly going to look elsewhere for their coaching needs. There were rumors throughout the season that he had lost the confidence of the locker room and clearly those in the front office. Woj reiterated these concerns as well via Twitter.
Bjorkgren was informed today of decision to dismiss him, sources said. He met with management on Tuesday. Pacers are expected to pursue a more experienced, established head coach in this process. Bjorkgren lost locker room and much of organization in his one year as coach. https://t.co/FSwxnl66Ed
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 9, 2021
The Pacers made some moves at the trade deadline and got a piece of that James Harden trade. They have talent such as Skills Challenge winner Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner is a great young big, and Caris LeVert has found his role within the team.
The Pacers front office is hoping with a coaching change, the relatively young roster will find new motivation and play to a higher level in the next season.