Since taking over for Frank Vogel as the Indiana Pacers head coach back in 2016-17, Nate McMillan has turned the franchise around in a big way.
Dealing with a rebuilding squad this past season, McMillan led Indiana to a surprising 48-34 record and took Cleveland to seven games in the first round of the playoffs.
He’s now being rewarded for this hard work. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the two sides are finalizing a contract extension.
Indiana Pacers coach Nate McMillan is finalizing a contract extension, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 1, 2018
McMillan, 53, had just one season remaining on the three-year deal he signed with the Pacers back in 2016. This means he won’t head into next year as a lame-duck head coach.
Indiana’s success this past season can be attributed to the maturation of All-Star guard Victor Oladipo, who flashed big time in McMillan’s system. The likes of Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis also upped their games.
Following a summer in which Indiana added to its bench in a big way, the team is going to have rather lofty expectations in 2018-19. Now, after this extension, said expectations will be heightened even more.