After a tumultuous season defined by the inability to secure a postseason berth and reports of friction in the locker room, the Indiana Pacers have reportedly decided to fire head coach Nate Bjorkgren. The news of the decision, which means Bjorkgren will not get a second year at the helm of the franchise, comes via Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Nate Bjorkgren is out as Indiana's coach, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 9, 2021
Wojnarowski confirmed the reports that Bjorkgren’s style rubbed players (and, as an added bonus, those within the organization) the wrong way, and as a result, the Pacers will target someone with more head coaching experience in the search for his replacement.
Bjorkgren was informed today of decision to dismiss him, sources said. He met with management on Tuesday. Pacers are expected to pursue a more experienced, established head coach in this process. Bjorkgren lost locker room and much of organization in his one year as coach. https://t.co/FSwxnl66Ed
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 9, 2021
Bjorkgren came to the Pacers after a stint as an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors. While he had professional head coaching experience before, all of it came in the G League, and his first year as the head coach of an NBA team came with major growing pains that the organization decided were not worth continuing to work through. The team was hampered due to injuries, which played a major role in Indiana going 34-38 and losing out on a chance to make the postseason via the play-in tournament.
The reports of Bjorkgren being in trouble popped up during the season, and ultimately, they turned out to be true. Now, the Pacers will try to find a coach that can get them back to the postseason.
