The Indiana Pacers have finalized their coaching staff

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 16: Bill Bayno of the Indiana Pacers throws the ball during warmups before the game against the New York Knicks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 16, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Brian Munoz/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 16: Bill Bayno of the Indiana Pacers throws the ball during warmups before the game against the New York Knicks at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 16, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Brian Munoz/Getty Images)

Indiana Pacers head coach Nate Bjorkgren has named his assistance for the 2020-21 season.

The Indiana Pacers hired Nate Bjorkgren to be their next head coach, and he has finalized his coaching staff. Kaleb Canales and Greg Foster were officially hired onto the staff, joining Bill Bayno, who has been with Indiana for four seasons.

Kaleb Canales joins Indiana after spending two seasons with the Knicks. Canales has spent a total of 12 years in the NBA as an assistant with the Knicks, Mavericks, and Trail Blazers. He served as an interim head coach briefly with Portland back in the 2011-12 season.

Long-time NBA player and coach Greg Foster joins the staff after spending the last two seasons in Atlanta. His playing career spanned 13 seasons with nine teams and he has served as an assistant with three organizations.

Bayno has been around the NBA for some time and was a prominent assistant under Nate McMillan. He is also the only assistant to return from the 2019-20 coaching staff, as Dan Burke and Popeye Jones both took jobs as assistants with the 76ers this offseason.

One thing is clear in Nate Bjorkgren’s staff: they have plenty of experience in the NBA while still being relatively young. Each of his assistants has several years of NBA coaching under their belts and have been around the league for quite some time now.

Indiana has put together a coaching staff just before the NBA season kicks into full swing. We’ll have to wait and see how this staff shapes up the roster and maximizes its strengths, but at least the team has a group in place before training camp begins.