Indiana Pacers' Nate Bjorkgren Speaks on Reported Turmoil

Indiana Pacers head coach Nate Bjorkgren spoke to the media pre-game in his first public comments since ESPN's report of turmoil in the locker room on Tuesday evening.

On Tuesday evening, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski sent out a bombshell about turmoil in the Indiana Pacers' locker room and the fact that Nate Bjorkgren could lose his job as head coach.

On Wednesday night before the Pacers play the Kings, Bjorkgren responded to the questions about the report.

Bjorkgren has work to do on relationships with key players in his locker room, sources tell ESPN, and has thus far shown a willingness within the organization to try to address those issues. https://t.co/uNeOdHMlnQ

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 5, 2021

Response to the report:

"It's been a tough year. There's a lot of challenges out there being a coach and being a head coach in this league, and you guys know this. I don't make excuses for things, I'm a young coach, and I'm learning, and I'm growing, and I'm trying to be better, I gotta coach better, and this is on me, and I'm the head coach and things should be pointed and me and rest on my shoulders. I love coaching this team and the relationships with the players and the coaches, and the organization. There's good people, so I gotta keep getting better, and I will. I gotta keep growing and keep learning because everyday you can learn something that's for sure.

Response to questions about his communication style:

"Communication is an enormous part of this. It's the management of personalities, and it's bigger than the x's and o's part, and that's where I gotta keep growing and gotta keep learning and gotta get better. The record isn't what we wanted it to be, and losing those games and stuff it hurts, and I gotta do a better job in those areas. The players on this team there such great people, and that's a big part of the head coaching is learning how to communicate, learning how to constantly connect with individuals and your team, and that's something that I'm going to continue to strive to get better at."

The Pacers play the Kings at 8:00 on Wednesday night.