Indiana Pacers hire Nate Bjorkgren as head coach
After another disappointing first round exit from the National Basketball Association playoffs, the Indiana Pacers knew it was time to start over. It was the fifth consecutive year that the Pacers were eliminated in the first round and the second season in a row they were swept in four straight games.
On Tuesday, the franchise announced their plans for the future and the direction the club would like to head in by naming former Toronto Raptors’ assistant coach Nate Bjorkgren as the team’s new head coach. Bjorkgren has never worked as a head coach in the NBA, but the Pacers believe he is the man who can help them reach the next level.
“We are very pleased and excited to have Nate as our new coach,” said President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard in a team statement. “This was an extensive and thorough search, and when we reached the conclusion, we felt strongly Nate is the right coach for us at the right time. He comes from a winning background, has experienced championship success, is innovative and his communication skills along with his positivity are tremendous. We all look forward to a long, successful partnership in helping the Pacers move forward.”
Bjorkgren was only with the Raptors’ organization for two seasons but managed to win an NBA championship in his first season under head coach Nick Nurse. Much like Bjorkgren, Nurse had never been a head coach in the NBA either prior to taking on the role with Toronto and that couldn’t have worked out any better. Indiana is hoping to capture the same type of magic with their new head coach.
“I am honored to take on the role as head coach of the Indiana Pacers,” said Bjorkgren. “This is something I have prepared for during my career. I want to thank Kevin, Chad (Buchanan), Kelly (Krauskopf), Larry Bird, Donnie Walsh, and Herb and Steve Simon for this opportunity. I also want to thank Nick Nurse for giving me my first professional coaching job 14 years ago. I’m looking forward to working with this great team to achieve our goal as NBA Champions.”
Prior to joining Toronto in July 2018, Bjorkgren had worked as an assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns. Unfortunately, he did not enjoy the same kind of success in Phoenix that he did in Toronto and was ultimately let go in his third season with the club.
While Bjorkgren played basketball collegiately at the University of South Dakota and Buena Vista University in Iowa, he never played professionally in the NBA. He did spend years in the D-League working as both an assistant coach and head coach, winning the first ever D-League championship with the Iowa Energy as an assistant coach under Nick Nurse.
Indiana finished the regular season in fourth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 45-28. They will be hoping that Bjorkgren can help them solve the issues they’ve been having in the playoffs, but only time will tell whether he is truly the right fit.
