Frank Vogel’s replacement in Indiana will apparently be a familiar face.
According to a report by Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Saturday, the Pacers are finalizing a deal to promote assistant Nate McMillan to their head coaching position.
The Indiana Pacers are finalizing a deal to promote assistant Nate McMillan to head coach, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) May 15, 2016
McMillan, 51, had been an assistant on Vogel’s staff since 2013. He previously served as a head coach for 12 seasons with stops in Seattle and Portland, racking up three 50-win seasons and five playoff appearances along the way. His career record as a head coach currently sits at 478-452 (.514).
While the hiring of McMillan to replace Vogel (who the Pacers stunningly opted not to retain earlier this month) is by no means a flashy one, you rarely go wrong with a trusted in-house option who is already well familiar with the way that a franchise operates.
Still it remains to be see if McMillan’s famously slow-paced, no-nonsense style will still be feasible in an NBA that has changed drastically since he was last a head coach in 2012.
