Sacramento doesn't exactly have a good history when it comes to head coaches, particularly in recent seasons. With the Kings off to yet another terrible start, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Doug Christie follow Mike Brown out the door rather than dealing with the team's real issues.
It was only a couple of years ago that the Sacramento Kings made it to the playoffs for the first time in nearly two decades. Led by point guard De'Aaron Fox, center Domantas Sabonis, and head coach Mike Brown, it was affectionately known as the Beam Team era in Sactown. It didn't last long.
A season and a half later, Mike Brown was fired after a slow start to the season. That directly led to De'Aaron Fox requesting a trade because he was tired of the instability in Sacramento. Domantas Sabonis remains, but he's having some problems staying at his previous production levels.
Kings go awry
Losing Brown and Fox was devastating to the team. Fox was the franchise player, both a fan favorite and team leader everyone could get behind. Brown was the architect of that era, breathing life into a franchise that was running on fumes. It was a fun season to watch.
The problem was that success was unsustainable. Brown was saddled with an unbalanced roster that was severely lacking on defense and playmaking but was overloaded with shooters. Honestly, it was a minor miracle that he found the level of success he did with the team.
Now, Doug Christie is the head coach. He has a new front office and a barely re-jigged roster that still has the same problems. Due to current contracts and salary cap issues, it'll be at least two seasons until the front office can do much to fix things. The question is if Christie will still be there.
Doug Christie is already on the ropes
Somehow, the Kings are off to a worse start in 2025-2026 than they had in 2024-2025. Without another miracle, it's unlikely that anything is going to improve in Sacramento. They would need a couple of big trades or the current roster to finally start playing like a team.
The problem for Christie is that the Kings' ownership isn't known for its patience with its coaches. If things continue to go badly, Christie is the one who will take the blame. Keep in mind that none of this is his fault. Like Brown, he inherited a broken system that the ownership isn't trying to fix.
No one wants Doug Christie to get fired. His defensive focus is exactly what the Kings need to evolve. But that requires the support and patience of both the front office and the ownership to get there. Fans will find out quickly if he has either of those things.