Scott Perry's Offseason Has One Clear Winner: Doug Christie

Scott Perry and the Sacramento Kings still have a lot of work to do this offseason, but so far, we've seen a domino of steps in the right direction for the Kings. It was led by the drafting of Darius Acuff Jr. as the seventh pick of the draft, but every move since has looked solid from Perry and the team.

Jumping back into the first round to grab Alex Karaban, snagging Emanuel Sharp in the second round and locking him up already on a three-year deal, and bringing in two intriguing two-way options in Jonathan Mogbo and Adam Flagler. And even though the Jalen Duren sign-and-trade hasn't happened and is looking less likely by the day, it shows the type of player and goals Perry has for this team.

Defense and Shooting

Oct 25, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors forward Jonathan Mogbo (2) runs with the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second half at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Acuff is a bit of an exception as the star acquisition of the offseason, but aside from him, every player Perry has gone after fits one of two archetypes—either a 3-and-D player or someone with great length and athleticism. And while that's a great type of roster to put together, regardless, it's one that fits second-year head coach Doug Christie perfectly.

Since he took over as interim head coach after the departure of Mike Brown, Christie has preached defense and moving the ball. In his time as interim, he also said repeatedly that he wanted the Kings to take more threes, even up to 50 per game. While that may have been his goal, it's one that last year's roster couldn't have resembled less.

The roster was littered with below-average defenders and lacked three-point shooting across the board. Keegan Murray was the only player who could both (theoretically, with the threes), and he was out for most of the year with injuries.

DeMar DeRozan continued to eat up shots in the mid-range, Zach LaVine struggled on defense, Domantas Sabonis' three looked broken when he did play and we all know his defensive troubles, the list goes on. Even the free agent additions of Dennis Schröder and Russell Westbrook didn't fit the style of player Christie seemed to want.

But this year, it's a different story. Acuff may struggle on defense, but he can sure as heck shoot the three. Same for the other rookies in Karaban and Sharpe. Mogbo is a lengthy athlete the Kings haven't seen the likes of in years, and Flagler is a true 3-and-D point guard who could get a crack at the rotation. Looking at Duren, he's one of the most athletic players in the league, which drastically makes up for the fact that he doesn't shoot threes.

Christie will still have to wade through the waters with the veterans on the team, but at the very least, it's a great sign that Perry is doing what he can to set him up for success. The only hope is that he continues to do so as the Kings move off Sabonis, LaVine, and Malik Monk.

The Kings likely won't take a defensive leap right away, but they are on the right track. The three-point shooting, however, could be instantaneous when the season starts with the influx of volume shooters. Doug Christie still has a long and difficult road ahead of him in his second season, but at least he should be able to run more schemes that he truly wants than trying to fit a square into a round hole.

Follow us on Facebook and X for the latest Sacramento Kings news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google