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Why Nate McMillan Can’t Fix the Inconsistent Indiana Pacers

By Ben Gibson

Nov 12, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers head coach Nate McMillan draws up a play during a timeout in the second half of the game against the Boston Celtics at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Boston Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 105 to 99. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 12, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers head coach Nate McMillan draws up a play during a timeout in the second half of the game against the Boston Celtics at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Boston Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 105 to 99. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Myles Turner and Thaddeus Young of the Indiana Pacers.
Feb 3, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24) shoots the ball between Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) and forward Thaddeus Young (21) during the first quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

Finding What Works for the Starters

McMillan’s teams may have been slow in the past, but more often than not, he coached teams that were safely above the .500 mark. McMillan’s career record is 513-485. He would need to lose nearly a half-season worth of games to get a losing record.

That’s part of the reason why I believe man building the roster should shoulder more of the blame, and not the coach.

If the variables had stayed the same, McMillan would deserve more blame. But this roster has seen a near-complete turnover in the past two seasons. McMillan was given the parts to build something, but that wasn’t a fast-paced scoring offense.

But worse than not giving Indiana the ability to run-and-gun, McMillan has plenty of parts, but not enough that go together. Or at least anything beyond the current starting five.

The starters are pretty good with their average offense and strong defense. That comes mostly thanks to Paul George and Myles Turner, but Thaddeus Young, C.J. Miles and Jeff Teague are carrying their weight as well defensive. Paul George slows down the best player, Myles guards the rim, Thad can cover stretch fours and C.J. Miles and Jeff Teague handle the rest.

Offensively, they’ve struggled to mesh at times, but there was a revolving door at shooting guard this season. In general, things have been chaotic and broken down at times, but there are five guys on the floor that know how to score, which makes up for their struggles as a whole.

It took awhile to get the right starting five together, but now they are a solid five-man unit.

The bench, however, is a puzzle, but not a fun one to watch.

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