What Kings HC Doug Christie Must Do to Keep His Job This Season

After finishing the 2025-26 season with a disappointing 22-60 record, there were some conversations in the Sacramento Kings fanbase about the franchise potentially letting go of head coach Doug Christie. Of course, the Kings decided to keep him around, but it is rare for a coach to keep his job with consecutive failed seasons.

In Christie's defense, last season's failure was not his fault. The Kings were thrashed by injuries, and in the early stages of a rebuild and with a poorly constructed roster, he did not have much to work with.

He might not be able to escape another 22-win season untouched, though. For Christie to keep his job, he needs to show some improvement, so let's set some realistic expectations for him this season:

Finish with a better record than 22-60

Apr 5, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie during the second quarter against the LA Clippers at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In no world should the Kings be worse than last year. They have a talented group around Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, Darius Acuff Jr., and Keegan Murray, and unless they catch the extreme injury bug again, they should win more than 22 games.

Even though they are now deeper into a rebuild than they were last season, they should still have more success now than before. Does Christie need to lead this team to a playoff berth? Of course not. But winning 30 games would at least show the front office that the team is moving in the right direction under his leadership.

I could see this Kings team winning closer to 35 games if healthy, but showing any sign of improvement is the priority for Christie.

Improve the team's defense

Dec 31, 2023; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray (13) defends Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane (22) during the first half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Naturally, the Kings' offense should be better this season. With Sabonis and LaVine healthy and rookie Acuff Jr. expected to be an offensive standout, the Kings should not have much trouble on that side of the ball. Defensively, though, Christie will need to work some magic.

None of Acuff Jr., Sabonis, or LaVine are regarded as good defenders. In fact, many would say they are the worst-defending trio in the NBA. Granted, Keegan Murray is also part of that main core, and he is actually an above-average defender, but the Kings' defense will come down to a strong game plan.

With role players like Ben Simmons, De'Andre Hunter, Dylan Cardwell, Alex Karaban, and Emanuel Sharp, the Kings should not be completely lost on defense, as long as Christie and his staff know how to approach their lineups and rotations. If the Kings can even avoid a bottom-five defense in the league and potentially have a top-22 offense, it would be a great look for Christie and help keep him off the hot seat.

Find the right balance of youth and veterans

Mar 29, 2026; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The trickiest aspect of Christie's job this season will be how he deals with minute allocation. In an ideal world, the Kings would be able to prioritize their youth. However, for Christie to keep his job and help the team stay competitive, he will need to find a balance between their youth and veterans.

Veterans like Sabonis, LaVine, Simmons, Hunter, and Malik Monk will all likely be in the rotation this season. But at the same time, the Kings do not want them to take valuable minutes away from young standouts like Acuff Jr., Sharp, Karaban, Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud, and Cardwell.

The most important thing for the Kings moving forward is to see the development of their young core. Sure, they want to win games along the way, but the only way this rebuild works is if the youth prevails. Christie will have his hands full figuring out how to approach this mix of players, and finding a solution will be key to keeping his job.

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