The Sacramento Kings are a few days into training camp, and head coach Doug Christie already likes what he's getting from the team. Christie wants to see the competitive spirit he expects from his players every day, regardless of whether it's a regular-season game or a scrimmage.
So far, that's what he has gotten from his training camp crew. The intensity of play is starting to get where Christie wants it to be, which bodes well for the regular season. Now, they just need to turn that intensity into a regular rhythm come gametime.
Kings head coach Doug Christie on the level of competition through his roster in scrimmages, expectations he has of his offense, particularly in the half court, and what he’s seen from Dennis Schröder. pic.twitter.com/QDoJO29B9L
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) October 2, 2025
According to Christie, the players and positions are always going to run their individual drills. But once they come together for practice games, that competitiveness has to be there every time. As anyone who was watching last season knows, intensity and competitive spirit were definitely missing.
Doug Christie takes the reigns
The Kings got off to a rough start in 2024-2025 which led to the firing of then head coach Mike Brown. It wasn't the right move, but the Kings' front office isn't exactly known for making rational or sensible decisions. Regardless, this is the meat grinder Doug Christie walked into.
Shortly after that, Christie lost his top point guard, De'Aaron Fox. That left him without someone reliable at the one. He tried a rotation of different players, but nothing quite clicked.
It's unfair to blame Christie for any of last season's issues. He was the new head coach, left with a mess that wasn't caused by him. All he really could do was look at the pieces he had to work with, do his absolute best, and start putting together a strategy for 2025-2026.
The new Kings' focus and intensity
Going into this season, there is a desire for the Kings to lock in on offense, push harder on defense, and still have fun while doing it all. That seems like a tall order, but it's what needs to be done to improve over last season's performance.
The reality for Doug Christie is that the buck stops with him, both in the planning of the strategy and the formulation of the roster, as well as its success and failure. If the Kings don't succeed this year, it's quite likely they will be looking for a new head coach for 2026-2027.
Again, the Kings' front office isn't exactly well known for its patience, loyalty, or stability.