Here’s some national attention: Nate McMillan named Coach of the Month
By Ben Gibson
Nate McMillan earned the NBA’s Coach of the Month award for the month of December. He led the Indiana Pacers to a 12-3 record.
What will a 12-3 record in December get you? The NBA’s Eastern Conference Coach of the Month award if you’re Indiana Pacers coach Nate McMillan.
The Pacers posted a pair of marquee wins against Eastern Conference opponents in December by knocking off the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers in back-to-back games. Even in the 3 losses, the Pacers kept it close with only a 5-point margin of victory between those games.
In McMillan’s typical style, he deflected the credit to the team as a whole when The Athletic’s Scott Agness asked him about it today.
"“I haven’t even thought about it. I think anything like that that happens, that’s a team award. If it happens.”"
As noted in the Pacers press release, Indiana held opponents to 101.1 points on average and outscored teams by 6.5 points per game, leading the NBA in both stats. If you prefer advanced stats, the Pacers held opponents to a 99.6 offensive rating while their offense scored 109.7 points per 100 possessions. That equals a 10.1 net rating.
It’s of little surprise that the Pacers led the NBA with that defensive rating in December and just missed out on leading the league in net rating by 0.1 points per 100 possessions.
During this time the Pacers put together a seven-game win streak and started a five-game one that continues into the new year. Indiana also avoided losing three games in a row this month, keeping their 2018 free of losing streaks of that length.
McMillan doesn’t always get the credit he deserves for making the Pacers one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, nor for his ability to connect and develop players, but this is a small and deserved nod to his success.
Next. Biggest moment from 2018: The Bojan Game. dark
This is the second time as the Indiana Pacers coach that Nate McMillan earned the honor.