Doug Christie Breaks Down Dramatic Shift in Kings' Season Priorities

Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie discusses the shift to focusing on youth as the Kings sit at 6-20 and 13th in the Western Conference.

Dec 11, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie talks with center Maxime Raynaud (42) during the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings are sitting at 6-20 and 13th in the Western Conference, and the focus in Sacramento appears to have shifted, with all eyes turning to the young players on the roster.

Following practice yesterday, Doug Christie spoke on prioritizing the young players development, something many fans have been hoping to hear all season.

"This is professional sports, man. There are no excuses; we have to figure it out, and that's what we're going to do. While at the same time, we have to continue to improve, develop our young players, and make sure that we're making strides in areas we want to make strides in."

The messaging around the Sacramento Kings is beginning to shift

Once built around a veteran-heavy roster, Doug Christie is now placing an emphasis on developing its young core

“We’ve got to find out about our guys and develop them—that’s the biggest piece of the puzzle,” the… pic.twitter.com/Z9xRbnweAV

— Jake Gadon (@JakeGadon_TV) December 17, 2025

Coming into the season, the hope was that the Kings would be a surprise team, with the additions of Dennis Schröder and Russell Westbrook bringing enough point guard play to lead the team. But injuries hit the team, and nothing clicked on either end for the disjointed roster.

“We’ve got to find out about our guys and develop them. That’s the biggest piece of the puzzle, more than anything. And we will do that. That's the bottom line," Christie continued. "Going forward, we have to make sure that these guys are as ready and as developed as they possibly could be. So as we continue down this path, we continue to improve as individuals, collectively, and then ultimately as a team and organization. We're in a place where these young players are going to be the cornerstones of what we do going forward.

Is Devin Carter in the Plan?

What is interesting is that Christie continued his answer with a list of young players, and who was left off that list. "That is important for Keegan to develop, for Nique to develop, for Max to develop, for Dylan to develop."

Noticeably missing is Devin Carter, who has struggled to get on the court during his second season. The Kings don't have many young players to be excited about, but Carter is one of the few to look at as another younger player to develop. But just like it has all season, it felt like Carter is on the outside looking in, but only time will tell if Christie and the Kings get him on the court more during his sophomore season.

Dec 14, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) dribbles the ball as Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) plays defense in the second half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Christie Explains Goals

Christie went on to discuss his goal for how the young players perform on the court, referencing everything we've heard him say since training camp. "All the little things we value; with physicality, with rebounding, with defense, with sharing the basketball. It doesn't happen all the time on the floor, but it has to be the staple of who they are."

The comment about it not happening all the time on the floor is extremely telling. There is a reported disconnect between Christie and some of the players, and in the quote above, it feels like Christie is saying I know not everyone does it, but I need you to do it. That could be reading into things too much, but one thing that seems sure is that we're going to be seeing a lot more of the young guys going forward.