Inside The Kings

Is Doug Christie the Right Coach for the Kings Rebuild?

The Sacramento Kings might have a coaching dilemma moving forward.
Eric Sperlazza|
Jan 9, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie during a timeout against the Golden State Warriors during the third quarter at Chase Center.
Jan 9, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie during a timeout against the Golden State Warriors during the third quarter at Chase Center. | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

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Sacramento Kings

With just under 20 games remaining, the Sacramento Kings are in pole position for the worst record in the NBA. Injuries and a roster that never made much sense doomed them early on, and that was probably for the better. With no other choice but to focus on the future, it’s clear that many of the players on this team won’t be here long-term. It’s relatively easy to see which players belong in the next chapter, but is a coaching change just as necessary?

Never know what ya got 'til it’s gone

Doug Christie is still relatively early into his coaching career and can grow, but it’s impossible not to compare him to Mike Brown. Brown has coached well over 800 games in his career, won a conference title, and was the one who took Sacramento back to the playoffs. That kind of experience feels like it would’ve been really valuable while trying to build a lasting culture.

“I definitely don’t have all the answers,” Brown said. “I’m definitely not the smartest cookie in the jar. I lean on people.”

This quote from Brown in James L. Edwards’ story in The Athletic stood out to me when it comes to the value he brings. This is a guy who has won over 60% of his games as a head coach and been to the NBA Finals, yet he’s still interested in the opinion of his assistants and players. This isn’t to say that Christie doesn’t take things from his staff or players, but more of a reference point for how challenging it is to be an NBA head coach.

It takes a village

Christie obviously isn’t the only coach on staff, which makes you ask if the problem isn’t with him. The Kings' defense was never going to be even halfway decent this season, but the offensive issues are less acceptable for a team with a lot of firepower. Mike Woodson, another veteran coach, took over the offense this year, and it just hasn’t gone well.

The Kings are third-to-last in offensive rating. 21st in assist-to-turnover ratio, last in true shooting percentage, and last in three-point attempts and percentage. Those are disastrous numbers, no matter what your team looks like. No one can build a legitimate argument that the players the Kings put together fit at all, but I still expected better offensively. 

Is Woodson the one at fault for the offense, or is it Christie? The scheme is likely on Woodson, and that hasn’t been great either. You can’t control missing threes, but you can control taking more, and the Kings look especially bad when they give up on the long ball. The other part of this is the rotations and in-game adjustments that have an impact on offense.

The man for the job?

So far, Christie is at a 36% win percentage in his 114 games coached, and that isn’t a great sign considering the Kings were trying to win for much of this season and all of last. As a former player, I think it’s clear that Christie can connect with the players on a level that a lot of head coaches just can’t. The question is whether that’s as valuable with a young, rebuilding team as it is with a veteran team that has already built the right habits.

Being a coach that players can resonate with is important, but creating a system that can grow with the team and players is so valuable. The Phoenix Suns are a great example of a rookie head coach coming in and flipping things around right away. To be fair, Jordan Ott has won an NBA Finals as an assistant and coached under Tom Izzo. 

This is all a roundabout way of saying that Christie might not be the best coach for a team that needs a lot of direction right now. There hasn’t been much of anything to suggest the Kings are even playing to their low potential. The rotation has been questionable a lot of the time, and it doesn’t seem like we’re seeing as many of those teaching moments as Brown used to have when he pulled a guy to the sideline. 

What's the plan anyway?

Even if Chrisite makes it through next year, I don’t see the Kings finding a reason to extend him. The Kings are going to be bad the rest of this season and next, regardless of coach, but that doesn’t mean that coaching doesn’t matter. 

While we don’t have the full picture with Chrisite yet, he doesn’t seem to be elevating the collection of players on the Kings to anything that resembles a real basketball team. I was high on Christie after his run to end the season last year, but I find myself seriously questioning if he is the right man for the job today.

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Eric Sperlazza
ERIC SPERLAZZA

Eric Sperlazza covers the NBA and Sacramento Kings for Sacramento Kings On SI.

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