When Mike Brown was fired just after Christmas during the 2024-2025 season, assistant coach Doug Christie was hired as the interim head coach. It was a rough back half of the season, but he made it work. On May 1, 2025, the Kings made it official and named him as the permanent head coach.
Well, about as permanent as any head coach is on the Kings.
Being that he was only the head coach for half a season, it's impossible to assess how good a job he did. Christie was hampered by the departure of De'Aaron Fox, leaving the team without a dedicated point guard. 2025-2026 will be his first full season as head coach.
No surprise, Doug Christie brought up defense a lot with how the Kings want to play.
— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) September 29, 2025
He says offense should be easy in transition after getting stops. It's a defensive-first approach.
Today was also Christie's first media day as the King's head coach. While he covered a number of topics, defense was a big one for him. Sacramento was middle of the pack last season when it came to defense. But if they want to contend, it has to be a priority, and that will require changes.
The Kings' defensive reality
While Christie is correct about the need for defensive focus, the Kings' roster certainly doesn't reflect that. Much of the team is comprised of players, primarily guards, who shoot first and often get caught lacking on defense. It's been an ongoing issue for quite some time.
It's also an issue at the center position where Domantas Sabonis has established himself as a premier scorer and rebounder. But he's been in the league for a minute, and his weak defense is impossible to ignore at this point. There really isn't anyone picking up that slack.
Christie's defensive goals are both ambitious and necessary, but hard to see happening with the current makeup of the Kings' roster. If defense is what's important to the Kings' coaches, there are going to be some serious roster changes on their way.