Nate McMillan on the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner: Opponent's Take

McMillan is in his third year as Atlanta Hawks head coach after being with the Pacers for seven seasons. He shared his perspective on the 18-17 Pacers.

Nate McMillan is in his third season as Atlanta Hawks head coach.

Just three players remain on the roster from Nate McMillan’s final season as Pacers head coach.

One is obvious.

That’s Myles Turner.

The other two: 2019 first-round pick Goga Bitadze and 2019 free-agent signing T.J. McConnell.

A lot has changed in four seasons and there was even another head coach between McMillan and Rick Carlisle. They’re currently 18-17 and slotted in seventh in the Eastern Conference, a surprise to all that they’re currently in the playoff picture.

(See Also: 1-on-1 with McMillan on the Pacers going in a different direction)

It was good to see Nate back in Indianapolis Tuesday night for the Atlanta Hawks’ first of two visits over the next two weeks. The Pacers never trailed in the final three quarters and star point guard Tyrese Haliburton put the game away midway through the fourth period.

A 129-114 Pacers win.

Before each game, both head coaches talk with local reporters. And whenever there’s great familiarity, like there is with McMillan, it lends itself to getting an outside perspective to a situation he knows very well.

McMillan, who also played in the NBA, worked for the Pacers from 2013-2020; first as the associate head coach on Frank Vogel’s staff before replacing him in 2016.

After his stint with the Pacers suddenly ended after the 2019-20 season that concluded in the Orlando bubble, McMillan, 58, seriously considered sitting out for a season.

He ultimately joined Lloyd Pierce’s staff in Atlanta.

However, following a 14-20 start to the 2020-21 season, Pierce was fired and McMillan served as interim head coach. Then the interim tag was removed.

The Hawks have reached the postseason in the past two years whereas the Pacers redirected the ship and are more geared toward a rebuild centered around Haliburton. And they are seemingly ahead of schedule.

Read what McMillan had to say about the Pacers below.