Nate McMillan is out. The Atlanta Hawks front office decided that the tenured coach was no longer the right fit for the squad and they opted to terminate his services ahead of the second half of the season. It wasn't exactly a complete shock considering the mediocrity surrounding Atlanta's campaign, but there's no denying that the team is still sad to see him go.
For his part, Hawks big man John Collins said that he hates to see this happen to a man like Nate McMillan. However, Collins did drop a major hint as to why the Hawks decided to go in another direction with regard to the top coaching job — and it's not exactly about Trae Young:
“I feel like Nate is a little more suited for just guys who are older and understand the game, whereas as a young team, we need guidance,” Collins said, via Reggie Chatman Jr. of 11Alive News. “I feel like we needed a different kind of guidance.”
John Collins says Nate McMillan’s coaching style might have fit better for an older roster.
Hopes the new coach will have more guidance for a team that needs help on the development and mental side.
Made sure to mention he hated to see it happen to Nate. @11AliveNews pic.twitter.com/XZfvb4gWTG
— Reggie Chatman Jr. (@ReggieChatman) February 22, 2023
John Collins seems to be saying here that McMillan just wasn't a good fit for the Hawks. This is despite the fact that this was the same coach that led them all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals a couple of years ago.
There's been a lot of talk surrounding McMillan's relationship with Hawks superstar Trae Young, and the suspicion is that McMillan may have fallen out of favor with Young. If this is true, then we all know which side the Hawks front office picked in this respect.
Be that as it may, there seems to be no bad blood between McMillan and the Hawks — or at least according to John Collins:
“Obviously, we still respect and appreciate everything Nate has done for us,” Collins said.
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