Former Hawks head coach Nate McMillan hired as assistant coach on JJ Redick’s first Lakers staff

A former Atlanta Hawks head coach is back on the sidelines. According to a report from ESPN’s NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Los Angeles Lakers are hiring former Atlanta Hawks head coach Nate McMillan to be an assistant on new head coach JJ Redick’s first staff in Los Angeles.

Former Oklahoma City Thunder and Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks also joins Redick’s staff. It appears Redick is looking to hire experienced coaches for his first staff with the Lakers.

McMillan was originally hired as an assistant to former Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce in November 2020. The Hawks got off to a poor start to the season under Pierce and he was subsequently fired, with McMillan being named interim head coach. The Hawks had a magical run with McMillan at the helm, finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference. They easily eliminated the New York Knicks in five games in the first round of the 2021 playoffs, then defeated the No. 1-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. This was the highlight of McMillan’s time in Atlanta. He led the Hawks to their second Conference Finals, where they lost in six games to the Milwaukee Bucks. Some would argue that had Trae Young not injured his ankle in Game 3 of that series, the Hawks would have reached the NBA Finals.

The Hawks hired McMillan as their permanent head coach after their run to the Conference Finals, but things went downhill for McMillan. The following season, the Hawks had to win two games in the NBA play-in tournament to advance to the Round of 16, where they were crushed in five games by the Miami Heat.

The Hawks struggled early in the 2022-23 season, going 29-30 before the All-Star break and McMillan was fired. The team had just made a big trade for Dejounte Murray in the offseason, but it wasn’t getting the results it wanted. McMillan was quickly replaced by Quin Snyder, who remains the coach today.

McMillan has also served as head coach in Seattle (2000–05), Portland (2005–12) and the Indiana Pacers (2016–20). He has a 760–668 record as a head coach.