The Sacramento Kings find themselves at a critical juncture early in the 2024-25 NBA season. After a promising start that had many pegging them as a playoff contender, the Kings have stumbled to a 13-18 record, losing 12 of their last 17 games. Determined to salvage their once-hopeful campaign, the organization made the bold decision to dismiss head coach Mike Brown on Friday and elevate assistant Doug Christie to the interim role.
Christie, a 15-year NBA veteran best remembered for his tenures with the Kings in the early 2000s, faces the tall task of turning around a team that has seemingly lost its way. The 52-year-old rookie head coach will look to lean on his lengthy playing experience and existing relationships within the Kings franchise to steady the ship.
Injecting Positive Energy
At his first practice as head coach on Saturday morning, Christie aimed to infuse the Kings with a much-needed jolt of positivity. Guard Malik Monk noted the “high vibes” and upbeat atmosphere, a stark contrast to the team’s dreary December slide.
“Everybody is happy. Everybody is ready to play tonight,” Monk remarked, alluding to the Kings’ Saturday night showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers, the team that drafted Christie 30 years prior.
Sabonis Returns
In another encouraging sign, All-Star center Domantas Sabonis rejoined the team in LA after missing Thursday’s loss to the Pistons with an illness. His presence alone should provide a boost for a Kings squad that surrendered a 19-point second-half lead in that defeat.
“We’re all focused on winning the game. But we obviously know we haven’t been performing at our best,” Sabonis acknowledged. “Me as one of the leaders of the team, I got to make sure that that happens. We got to win all the games that we can.”
– Domantas Sabonis
Surprising Dismissal
The decision to fire Brown, the reigning NBA Coach of the Year, came as a shock to many around the league. Just this past offseason, Brown signed an extension through the 2026-27 season, adding over $20 million in guaranteed money to his deal after guiding the Kings to their first playoff berth in 16 years.
Point guard De’Aaron Fox, whom Brown publicly called out after a costly foul in crunch-time versus Detroit, said he was surprised by the move but received advance notice.
“I found out a minute before everybody else did,” Fox revealed. Asked if he felt any guilt over the way things unfolded, he responded, “I wouldn’t use the word ‘guilt.’ But that’s the nature of the job that we have.”
– De’Aaron Fox
Christie’s Message
As for Christie, his message to the team was one of togetherness and resilience. “Come out and stick together, fight and just be us, be who we are and turn this thing around,” he implored, according to Sabonis.
That turnaround effort begins on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena against LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Lakers. A win would not only snap Sacramento’s five-game skid but also serve as a fitting Hollywood ending to the first chapter of the Doug Christie era.
The Kings and their fans are hoping it’s the start of an exciting new page in what remains a promising story, even if the previous chapter ended abruptly and unexpectedly. With Christie at the helm preaching unity and effort, Sacramento will look to rediscover the formula that had them turning heads earlier this season.
