“New Nate” Brings New Optimism
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — Nate Bjorkgren wasn’t on my top 3 wish-list in the Pacers Head Coaching search. But even before Nate McMillan was fired, I said I wanted the “next” Nick Nurse to coach the Pacers. Who could be more like Nick Nurse than his right-hand man?
That’s not the only thing that gets me excited about this hire. Seeing Kevin Pritchard this excited- gets me excited. It’s rare that you see a coaching search last nearly two months. Pritchard said they interviewed 12 or 13 candidates, and had “books and books” of information about each one of them. He said the search was extensive and exhaustive. But at the end of it all, they “knew” Nate Bjorkgren was their guy. To have such a long and detailed search and to come away feeling so excited about their choice? Sign me up for that.
It’s also rare that you see such a positive response from around the league. Pritchard has been overwhelmed by the amount of messages he’s received. A quick Twitter-search of Nate Bjorkgren will also show you how respected this hire is from those inside and outside the Pacers organization.
As we try to embrace the “new normal” of life in 2020, Pacers fans can embrace “new Nate” with a lot of optimism. He’s innovative, adaptable to change, optimistic, fun to be around, and pays a great deal of attention to the details of the game. He comes from a winning culture, has paid his dues, and is ready to take Indiana to the next level.
For a deeper conversation about Bjorkgren and the Pacers off-season, listen to this podcast and others by “Setting the Pace.”
Now that the Pacers have their coach, things could really heat up in the near future. We are just a few weeks away from the NBA draft, free agency and trades opening up, and the schedule release for the 2020-2021 season, which could begin in late December. As we’ve noted before, there are a number of different scenarios that could take place for this Pacers team. They could run it back with the same (and hopefully healthier) squad. They could make a big trade. They could make some huge decisions about Victor Oladipo and/or the Turbonis pairing. We’ll have a lot to talk about in the near future. But for now, try to get by the next few months with only football on TV. Basketball could be returning in the near future- and the Indiana Pacers are in good hands with new Nate in town.
