Hawks coach Nate McMillan enters COVID-19 protocols as multiple players return

ATLANTA — There is some good news and some bad news to report if you are a fan of the struggling Atlanta Hawks.

The good news, multiple players who have been sitting out due to the team and the NBA’s health and safety protocols are returning to the lineup on Sunday.

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The bad news, Hawks head coach Nate McMillan entered those same protocols on Saturday.

The Hawks were traveling to Portland Saturday after beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 121-118 in Cleveland Friday night. They play the Portland Trail Blazers Monday night.

The team has had as many as seven players on the active roster this past week who weren’t with them at the start of the season. Trae Young only recently returned to the lineup and several other players have been in and out of the protocols over the past several days.

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Atlanta has struggled this season. They are 16-19 after the win in Cleveland. They are currently in 4th place in the Southeast Division, 6.5 games behind the Miami Heat and a half game out of 9th place in the chase for the NBA playoffs.

You’ll recall last season, that the team struggled up until the beginning of March. That’s when McMillian took over the coaching reins from Lloyd Pierce. After the change, the Hawks became one of the hottest teams in the league, winning the Southeast and making it to the NBA Eastern Conference Finals where they lost to the eventual NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks.

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