Nate Bjorkgren Rumors
The upbeat and positive reinforcement persona — the polar opposite of McMillan — played well during the interview process. One league executive with knowledge of Bjorkgren’s style called it “fake positivity” to IndyStar. Others drew similar conclusions, describing his delivery as awkward at best. As far back as December, in a shortened preseason, another league source with the team had raised red flags about Bjorkgren’s methods, as he coached from an iPad.
IndyStar has talked to multiple league sources who’ve worked with Bjorkgren, including at previous stops, and they shared first-hand experiences that paint a picture similar to what transpired during his one disastrous season in Indiana. The consensus: They were shocked he became an NBA head coach so soon. It wasn’t just his lack of experience, which can be overcome with adequate staff supporting him, but his methods.
Off the court, Bjorkgren wanted players to wear only team-issued sweats on the plane, two league sources with knowledge of the situation said. He also had banned headwear such as do-rags. Another source added that McMillan had his demands, too, such as wearing slacks, a nice shirt and sometimes a jacket.
On the court, it was about analytics to a fault. They governed all of his actions and conclusions. If a player shoots 20% when he dribbles more than twice going left, Bjorkgren expected him to be defended accordingly, regardless of the game’s flow or his players’ basketball intuition.
