Indiana Pacers Coaching Rumors: Team Eyeing Jeff Hornacek
By Kyle Nishida
The Indiana Pacers quietly search for their next head coach, and former Phoenix Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek is high on their list of candidates.
Once the Pacers parted ways with Frank Vogel on May 5, there has been plenty of speculation about who the team’s next head coach would be. Team President Larry Bird has not tipped his hand on who he is thinking of. However, one NBA reporter is hearing Hornacek’s name popping as a candidate.
CBS Sports’ Ken Berger reported that Hornacek is expected to be one of Indiana’s potential coaching candidates.
Former Suns coach Jeff Hornacek is expected to emerge as a candidate for Larry Bird in Pacers' search, league sources say.
— Ken Berger (@KBergNBA) May 5, 2016
Hornacek was fired midway through this season after the Suns started with 14-35 record. The Suns gave him a lot of leeway to turn the team around this season, but ultimately, he could not do it. Bird will have to take this fact into consideration if he wants to hire Hornacek.
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Also, Bird has to be concerned about Hornacek’s lack of playoff coaching experience. He has never made it to the playoffs as a coach. Does Bird want to commit to a coach with no playoff experience when he just parted ways with Vogel, who had a lot of it?
It is also unknown whether or not the Pacers have any contact with Hornacek. However, a Pacers’ team coached by Hornacek would be interesting to see.
In his two full seasons as head coach, Hornacek designed an offense that could score a lot of points. The Suns averaged 105.2 points per game in the 2013-14 season (7th in NBA) and 102.4 points per game in the 2014-15 season (11th in NBA). In contrast, the Indiana Pacers averaged below 98 points per game both those seasons.
Hornacek’s teams relied heavily on a fast tempo combined with on-the-ball and off-the-ball screens. As a result, his players got a lot of open looks especially his guards and forwards. Brandon Knight, Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic and even Isaiah Thomas (all guards) benefitted from his system. Meanwhile, forwards like Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris also excelled with him.
It is not hard to envision Hornacek helping Paul George get more open looks. The key issue will be at point guard. George Hill might not be the best fit to run Hornacek’s system. The Pacers are fine at the other guard position because Monta Ellis is skilled enough to make it work.
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Scoring more points is something Bird wants to see from the Indiana Pacers next season, and Hornacek can deliver that. Obviously, Bird will consider more than just this factor when finding a head coach. However, the fact Hornacek has proven offensive track record helps his case towards being the Pacers’ next head coach.