Indiana Pacers announced who all will be on Nate McMillan’s coaching staff. Defensive guru Dan Burke and Popeye Jones both will return, while McMillan adds Bill Bayno as his top assistant. Bayno and McMillman worked together during nearly all of McMillan’s time as a head coach with the Portland Trailblazers.

“I was impressed with him then,” said McMillan on his time with Bayno in Portland, “and always hoped I would have the opportunity to work with him again.” 

Bayno’s last coaching job in the NBA was as an assistant on Dwane Casey’s staff with the Toronto Raptors from 2013-2015. He’s thought of highly in the coaching community.

In addition to adding Bayno, who is known for player development. The Pacers also created a new position, Player Development Coach, and hired David McClure, who spent the last two seasons with the San Antonio Spurs at the same position.

“David is one of the bright, young coaching prospects in our league who has played professionally with a great feel for player development,” McMillan said.

McClure’s job will be to set up training sessions for each individual player before and after practice and in the offseason. McMillan said McClure’s biggest endorsement was from former Pacer David West. 

The Pacers have plenty of young talent on their roster for the two new coaches to develop: Myles Turner, Glenn Robinson III, Shayne Whittington, Rakeem Christmas, Joe Young, and newly drafted Georges Niang. Many of these players have been working out in Indy in the offseason with Jones and Burke. Bayno should add to the quality of these workouts.

“His communication with the players and his ability to get them to understand what they need to work on and what they need to improve, whether it’s a weakness or a strength, is impressive,” said McMillan about Bayno to Indy Star. “It’s personal with him, his relationship with the players is very close. The players that I’ve known to work with him enjoy working with him, and I think that’s key.”

One of those players that Bayno will be tasked with working heavily with is Myles Turner, and he had a similar young big man out of Texas to work with at Portland in LaMarcus Aldridge. 

“He was hands on with the development of LaMarcus,” said McMillan, who called Bayno a key figure in Aldridge’s growth. “I think the type of players we have on the roster– Paul George, Myles Turner, Joe Young– will benefit working with him.”