The Indiana Pacers find themselves at the crux of recent drama across the league. With head coach Nate Bjorkgren catching attention in the NBA community for all the wrong reasons, a coaching change may be inevitable at this point, especially with the disappointing campaign the team is having so far.
Long-lived coaching tenures are rare in the NBA, but those as short-lived as Bjorkgren may end up having are equally unusual. The Indiana Pacers are one of the league’s most unyielding believers in loyalty and continuity, but even that may be challenged with the recent rumblings about his mishaps in the locker room amplifying a season of underachievement.
Coaching change looming for the Indiana Pacers
With that in sight, if the front office ends up cutting ties with the rookie coach, who still has one more guaranteed year in the contract he signed last offseason, the job of manning the Navy and Gold still figures to garner a lot of traction. After all, this is a squad with talent on all positions, relative youth, and considerable roster control, with all key players under contract until at least next season.
Thus, let’s zoom in on three potential coaching candidates for the Indiana Pacers if they fire current coach Nate Bjorkgren, a move that will signal that the franchise is ready to veer away from its prized principles and take bolder measures to become more potent in the much-improved Eastern Conference.
Honorable Mentions: Becky Hammon, Kenny Atkinson, Will Hardy, Sam Cassell
Indiana Pacers possible replacement if Nate Bjorkgren is fired: Mark Jackson
Indiana Pacers fans are already acquainted with former prized point guard Mark Jackson, who donned the Navy and Gold in two stints from 1994-1996, and from 1996-2000, the latter of which culminated in the franchise’s lone NBA Finals appearance in 2000.
Since then, the player-turned-coach pivoted to working as an analyst for ABC before being hired by the pre-dynasty Golden State Warriors, who were still finding their identity and footing as a young team. At the helm from 2011-2014, Jackson led the Dubs to a cumulative 121-109 record, producing two playoffs appearances in the process.
While his Warriors stint was cut short with the arrival of Steve Kerr, Jackson is credited for developing the likes of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green and architecting the framework of Golden State’s herald defense. After a measly 26th defensive rating in 2011-12, he led the Dubs’ meteoric rise on defense, improving to 12th in 2012-13, and then to an excellent 3rd ranking in 2013-14.
With the Pacers’ unprecedented decline on defense this season, Mark Jackson may be the answer to hoist the team back to form as an effective defensive unit, which they have already achieved in the two seasons preceding this campaign. With a roster that has the potential to deadly on both ends of the floor, hiring him will not only be a welcome idea, but also a logical choice.
It must be noted though that he has his own limitations, especially on offense. The prime reason for his Warriors exit was his overdependence on isolation scoring, failing to maximize the scoring ability of a Golden State team that was bannered by the Splash Brothers and All-Star David Lee. However, as an active analyst on ESPN, the prospect of improvement on that area cannot be undermined.
Indiana Pacers possible replacement if Nate Bjorkgren is fired: Mike D’Antoni
If the Indiana Pacers opt for a more drastic change with the best chances for great immediate returns, then hiring decorated coach Mike D’Antoni is bound to pay dividends. The offensive guru, the engineer of trendsetting offenses with the “seven seconds or less” Phoenix Suns from 2003-2008 and the Harden-era Houston Rockets from 2016-2020, will electrify the team’s offense which still ranks 15th in the association despite improvement in that area.
Currently the associate assistant coach for Steve Nash with the Brooklyn Nets, the 69-year-old is still reportedly pursuing a head coaching job. And this may bode well for the Pacers, who notably targeted the veteran coach for its opening in the offseason before settling for Bjorkgren.
D’Antoni’s teams have usually been criticized for being too one-dimensional and less reliant on defense, but his success is unquestionable. It should also be noted though that his squads were not necessarily equipped to be masters at preventing points. However, in his Rockets tenure, the defensive capabilities of those Houston teams were understated, evidently with the 2018-18 squad that flirted with an NBA Finals appearance which was the league’s 7th-best defensive unit that season.
Other than defense, the biggest knack on D’Antoni’s coaching career was his inability to get his teams over the hump. His Suns tenure saw him repeatedly lose to Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs and his Rockets stint saw him fall prey to Steve Kerr and the dynasty Warriors. He has never led a squad to the Finals, but hey, coaching can only do so much, especially in the Western Conference where he spent the bulk of his coaching career.
With the Pacers still vying to be competitive and resisting an exhaustive rebuild, hiring Mike D’Antoni can help the roster achieve greater heights with his innovative thinking and notable amity with players and coaching staff. Just watch out for the possibility of missing 27 threes in a row.
Indiana Pacers possible replacement if Nate Bjorkgren is fired: Chauncey Billups
Easily the least experienced in the bunch, former champion and All-Star Chauncey Billups has only recently launched his own coaching career, joining Tyronn Lue’s staff as an assistant coach for the LA Clippers this season.
Despite his relative inexperience manning the sidelines, Billups, like D’Antoni, came close to securing the open head coaching job for the Pacers last offseason. The decorated point guard is a cerebral thinker and perennial All-Star who notably led the Detroit Pistons to a championship in 2004. Also, he was a constant thorn on the side of Indiana for a good portion of the 2000s, so he isn’t particularly foreign to the organization. In addition, he has good ties with Indiana’s Malcolm Brogdon.
Much of the work that he has put in with the Clippers this season is with player development. Veteran point guard Reggie Jackson, who is having some sorts of a career renaissance this season, pointed to Billups as one of the main factors for his much-improved play as a facilitator and a team defender. And that figures to hold up if he lands in Indiana where he can help mitigate issues plaguing the team that stem from a lack of discipline.
As the recent turmoil shows, the interpersonal aspect of coaching should never be understated. Billups’ prowess on the X’s and O’s of the game remains to be seen, but his way of connecting with the players is already top-notch. This can help in establishing a culture in Indiana that is a lot more conducive to team chemistry and yield to winning.
Hiring Chauncey Billups will elicit a willingness on the part of the front office to remain patient and embrace in-house development. Indiana is not a hotspot for free agent, nor trade igniters. Organically letting Billups grow with the team’s core, which is still young, can elevate the ceiling of this Pacers team.