Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse is more than happy for Nate Bjorkgren for being named the head coach of the Indiana Pacers.
Bjorkgren, who spent the past two seasons as an assistant under Nurse, signed a multiyear deal on Tuesday to take the head coaching job in the Pacers organization. During an appearance on ESPN's The Jump, Nurse talked about their relationship together and explained why Nate deserved the opportunity.
“Well, I guess it's just like it was in the D-League, Nate was my assistant in the D-League and he went on to coach the Santa Cruz Warriors and we met in the Finals of that game,” the Raptors tactician said on Tuesday. “So here we go again, I'm very happy for him, he's a great person and a great coach. We've done a lot of basketball together side by side, so he definitely deserves the job, the Pacers got a good one in Bjorkgren.”
Before the Raptors, Nate Bjorkgren and Nick Nurse worked together in the G League, winning a title together with the Iowa Energy in 2011. Bjorkgren then reached the G League Finals as head coach of the Santa Cruz Warriors in 2013 before becoming an assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns in 2015.
After the Suns, he reunited with Nurse in Toronto in July 2018. They won a championship together that season, defeating the Golden State Warriors in six games.
Nevertheless, now that Bjorkgren is gone, the Raptors will need to find a new assistant coach.
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