Nearly two years to the day the Atlanta Hawks fired Lloyd Pierce, his substitute Nate McMillan met the identical destiny. We knew his teaching place was terminal two months in the past when an argument between McMillan and Young spilled out into the general public sphere. And whereas Young’s poor relationship with McMcMillan has him branded as a coach killer, it’s too simplistic on this occasion. Two years into the job, McMillan wasn’t getting the job completed and his Major Payne-adjacent management fashion isn’t connecting with the participant his franchise revolved round.
The Hawks are 29-30 on the All-Star Break. This wasn’t a failure to speak, it’s simply simpler to fireside a middling coach. The Hawks have rebounded within the ultimate third of the season for the previous two years, however their tightwire stroll grew to become an excessive amount of. For any potential coaches although, Atlanta is an attractive job due to their kingslayer level guard.
McMillan fell into the job two years in the past, however was too old-fashioned in a vanguard league. Nearly a decade in the past, the Golden State Warriors’ transition from Mark Jackson’s floppy units to Steve Kerr’s read-and-react movement offense altered the NBA. Unlike Curry although, Young has been a dominant ball-pounding guard most of his grownup life.
With him on the helm although, the Hawks are a marginal-to-below-average halfcourt offense and within the two years since McMillan was promoted, the Hawks have plummeted from being the eight-best offense per 100 possessions on the time of his hiring to second final season to their present nadir at sixteenth.
It appears antithetical to have a Trae Young-led group that performs at one of many quickest paces within the league rank within the backside three in triples, and twenty ninth in help share, which tracks the speed of assisted discipline targets, however that’s precisely what was happening.
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It was Mike Brown in Sacramento, not Nate McMillan who uncovered the perfect utilization for Kevin Huerter to thrive on the receiving finish of dribble handoffs with Domantas Sabonis. The group nonetheless hasn’t discovered a use for John Collins or a commerce associate apparently, and most significantly, their franchise cornerstone has been mismanaged.
Young is both creating for others or he’s a sightseer. The primary precedence for Atlanta’s subsequent head coach is to get Young to do extra than simply graze on the perimeter when he surrenders the ball. McMillan talked an enormous recreation about instituting modifications to how Young operated off the ball, however they hardly ever got here to fruition.
Ideally, Curry is the mannequin for the way Young can generate offense away from the ball. This season although, Young barely diminished his price of unassisted discipline objective makes an attempt from 83 % final season to 79 % this one. The largest distinction although has come from behind the arc the place his price of unassisted triples fell 12 share factors from 77 %. Curry’s cut up between unassisted discipline targets and assisted discipline targets is nearly 50-50. Young’s shot won’t ever be as dependable as Curry’s, however he shoots dramatically higher on catch-and-shoot triples (37 %) than on his tough trademark pull-up photographs from past the arc.
Former Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder is Atlanta’s frontrunner based on Adrian Wojnarowski, however match issues as a lot as operate. Snyder’s Jazz offenses commonly ranked final in mid-range makes an attempt whereas taking 3-pointers at a league-leading price. If his Jazz offenses are any preview, Clint Capela would function as a Rudy Gobert-type paint protector and prolific display setter.
The backup coach in Woj’s report is allegedly Kenny Atkinson. Not solely was Atkinson beforehand an assistant on Mike Budenholzer’s employees for 4 years, however he’s additionally spent the final three seasons selecting Steve Kerr’s mind from the Warriors’ bench. Last summer time, Atkinson reneged on accepting a four-year deal to teach the Charlotte Hornets place days after Michael Jordan obtained low cost about hiring new assistants. Atkinsons’ Brooklyn offenses had been predicated on a decentralized read-and-react system, that’s antithetical to the heliocentric unfold pick-and-roll offense, Young has commanded his total profession.
One of the explanations Atkinson is now not the Nets coach anymore is due to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant’s dangerous prescriptions. Young is smaller than Irving, possesses an equal quantity of affect, and has been as cutthroat with coaches he’s clashed with. In Brooklyn, Atkinson ran a contemporary offense and was an affable sideline CEO, which is in stark distinction to McMillan. Whomever the Hawks rent subsequent should get Young to purchase into their system, however there’s strain on Young to evolve as properly as a result of he’s operating out of excuses.