NBA Player Poll Has a Harsh Verdict on Kings HC Doug Christie

The Sacramento Kings have made it clear that they are committed to head coach Doug Christie moving forward, despite coming off a disastrous 22-60 season. While the jury is still out on whether or not that is the right decision, it would be hard to deny Christie another shot at this.

The Kings obviously believe in Christie, but the general NBA does not. In The Athletic's NBA anonymous player poll, 100 NBA players were asked, "Which current coach, aside from your own, do you find the least impressive?"

Ten of the 100 players answered Kings coach Doug Christie. This slotted Christie in third place in the poll, trailing only Washington Wizards' Brian Keefe (22 votes) and Milwaukee Bucks' Doc Rivers (14 votes). Overall, it is clear that a handful of players across the league view Christie as one of the NBA's worst coaches.

Apr 3, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie yells during the first quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Golden 1 Center. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

So, the only two coaches seen as less impressive than Christie are a coach who won just 17 games and a coach who got fired after the season.

Is Christie really that bad?

Does Christie truly deserve to be toward the top of this poll? The Kings were ravaged by injuries, and Christie had to go through 34 different starting lineups, none of which included their actual expected starting five.

Christie showed more of what he was capable of during his interim run in the 2024-25 season. Through 51 games, he led the Kings to a 27-24 record, despite taking over when they were just 13-18, and helped clinch a play-in tournament berth. Of course, he won fewer games this season than he did during his 51-game interim run, but he was dealt a much tougher hand.

Domantas Sabonis and Zach Lavine are out for the remainder of the season, per @ShamsCharania

Sabonis underwent season-ending surgery to repair his torn meniscus, while LaVine is undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a tendon injury in his hand pic.twitter.com/loPRvTFBPx
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 18, 2026

Not to mention, even if this roster were healthy, it was constructed so poorly that no coach would have been able to make them successful. A team built around Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Domantas Sabonis was never going to work, and that is why Christie had more success with his group of young guys, focusing on Maxime Raynaud, Precious Achiuwa, Dylan Cardwell, Devin Carter, and Nique Clifford.

Christie did an incredible job of keeping his players focused, despite losses continuing to stack up. It is clear that he will thrive with a younger roster, which is what the Kings' front office is planning to give him this offseason.

Giving Christie another shot

While some might not agree, there is no reason for the Kings to fire Christie at this stage. Regardless of who their coach is, are the Kings going to be competing for a title next year? Of course not. There is no harm in giving Christie another shot with an improved roster and (hopefully) better injury luck.

If Christie shows more promise next season, then the Kings have their head coach of the future. If not, then they can go scour the coaching market next offseason. Sure, Christie did not have an impressive 2025-26 season, and he has to prove himself before getting elevated off the "least impressive" poll.

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