Nate McMillan, head coach of the Atlanta Hawks, looks on during the game against the San Antonio Spurs at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, February 11, 2023. /CFP
The Atlanta Hawks have fired their head coach Nate McMillan, the team announced on Tuesday.
"I would like to thank Nate for his leadership and professionalism during his time with the Hawks. He is truly a class act, and we appreciate the graciousness and work ethic he brought with him every day," the Hawks' general manager Landry Fields said in a statement. "Decisions like these, especially in-season, are always extremely difficult, but we believe it's in the best interest of our team to move forward with another voice leading the way."
McMillan took over the Hawks from Lloyd Pierce in March 2021, helping the team win 27 of the following 38 games during that campaign. They went all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals in the postseason and lost to the Milwaukee Bucks after six games and their ace Trae Young suffered a right ankle sprain.
Nate McMillan (L), head coach of the Atlanta Hawks, and the team's franchise guard Trae Young look at each other ahead of the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, December 5, 2022. /CFP
The Hawks failed to repeat their success in the following 2021-22 season during which they were only 43-39. Both Young and McMillan were clueless about how to beat the Miami Heat's impregnable defense in the first-round playoffs. The Hawks were knocked 4-1 in the series.
The 2022-23 season has taken no favorable turn for either the Hawks nor McMillan. They are on the league's bottom 10 in points allowed per game, defensive rating as well as 3-point and free throw shooting, which explains why the team is only 29-30 and ranks eighth in the East.
Quin Snyder, head coach of the Utah Jazz, gives instructions to his players during Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference first-round playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, April 28, 2022. /CFP
Besides the poor performance of the team, McMillan's conflict with the Hawks' leader Young is understandably part of the reasons behind his departure. In fact, McMillan "strongly considered resigning from his position" in December 2022, but stayed on in the end.
Assistant coach Joe Prunty will take over from McMillan as the interim coach until the Hawks find his replacement. Former boss of the Utah Jazz Quin Snyder is a leading candidate for the job at the moment according to ESPN. He led the Jazz to the playoffs for six straight seasons between 2016 and 2022.