The Atlanta Hawks made a huge move this week when they announced that head coach Nate McMillan had been relieved of his duties. The move was met by skepticism and criticism across the NBA world with much of the vitriol directed towards Hawks star point guard Trae Young. There had been rumors circulating out of Hawks circles chronicling the supposed disconnect between McMillan and Young and there was a bizarre incident earlier this season when Young did not show up for a game leaving McMillan to answer for his star's whereabouts. Former NBA head coach and player Sam Mitchell chimed in with his thoughts on the whole ordeal on SiriusXM NBA Radio with a suggestion that there are issues that need to be fixed aside from the coaching change.
“What's needed here in Atlanta is a complete reset. If you ask the people in Atlanta, what's their identity, no one can tell you,” Sam Mitchell said. “I'm not gonna put all the blame on Trae Young because the last time I checked, Trae Young doesn't write a check to himself. . .whether you're giving him this power or not, I don't know. . .It starts up top, if the owner and management are not gonna hold the players accountable, then it's almost comical to hold the coaches accountable.”
This season, Young has been averaging 26.7 points per game, 2.9 rebounds and 10.3 assists with shooting splits of 42.8 percent from the field, 32.4 percent from the three-point line and 88.5 percent from the free-throw line. In three seasons with the Hawks, Nate McMillan amassed a record of 97-81.
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