5 potential replacements for Nate Bjorkgren as Pacers head coach

Terry Stotts checks all the boxes the Pacers will want in their next head coach

And now we have arrived at the likeliest candidate to replace Bjorkgren as the next Pacers head coach: Former Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts. After their latest playoff exodus, Stotts and the front office decided to mutually part ways after nine years together. Stotts made the Western Conference Playoffs in each of his last eight seasons in the Pacific Northwest.

This would be Stotts’ fourth stab at being an NBA head coach. While his Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks runs in the 2000s were complete failures, Stotts successfully reinvented himself after being a top assistant to Rick Carlisle on the Dallas Mavericks from 2008 to 2012. He may be in his mid-60s, but hiring Stotts will help the Pacers be prolific offensively and make the playoffs.

Of course, a lot of Stotts’ coaching success was directly tied to Damian Lillard’s nine-year rise to superstardom for the Trail Blazers. He would be getting a fantastic player in Domantas Sabonis, but he will need to develop somebody else as well. The good news is Stotts is exactly what the Pacers are looking for in their next head coach. They want Nate McMillan stability desperately.

However, there is a big difference between McMillan and Stotts’ coaching philosophies. McMillan has transformed the Hawks in the interim by preaching defense, something that has led to Stotts’ Portland departure. If the Pacers want to go pace and space and outscore everyone, Stotts will be their guy. I will say, it will be tough be as bad as Portland defensively, especially with Myles Turner.

Of all the candidates in play, which one should replace Bjorkgren as the Pacers’ next head coach?