There are very few people (if anyone) that is happy with the way the first fourth of the Sacramento Kings' season has gone. I mean, how could you be? The team is 9-11, 12th in the Western Conference, and losers of five of their last six games.
The Kings spent most of this offseason making moves to improve their team this year in the hopes that they could return to the playoffs and potentially make a run in the Western Conference. And not only do they not look like a playoff team right now, but they wouldn't even qualify for the play-in tournament if the regular season ended today.
When your season has been as disappointing as theirs has been thus far, changes usually need to be made, and it seems that the Kings have some ideas in mind.
Head coach Mike Brown's job may not be safe
In a recent appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, NBA Insider Jake Fischer said that changes could be on the horizon for the Kings.
The Sacramento Kings have once again struggled to find their footing early on this season.@JakeLFischer tells @BGeltzNBA and @SamMitchellNBA changes might be on the horizon for the Kings. pic.twitter.com/Q4W9xM5VJX
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) November 30, 2024
One of the changes that the team may have in mind involves head coach Mike Brown. This offseason, Brown inked a lucrative extension that ran through the 2026-27 season.Normally, in sports, contract extensions are viewed as a vote of confidence in the current coach. At the very least, a coach is expected to make it through the following season after the extension.
But, if Fischer's reporting is any indication, this situation is not conventional, and Brown may not have the job security that is typically afforded to coaches in the first year of their extension.
I am typically someone who gives coaches more leeway than most (because it is a very tough job that is hard for an outside observer to evaluate). But I especially feel like Brown isn't the main problem here.
He was the coach who was able to end the Kings' dreaded playoff drought. Now, he's being tasked with guiding a flawed roster (one that boasts way too much on-ball creation and not enough size, defense, and shooting) through an unforgiving Western Conference. On top of that, this team has experienced some bad shooting and injury luck.
Brown isn't the best coach in the NBA right now, but he is a pretty good one. He deserves a longer leash than that this report paints. Hopefully, the Kings don't jump the gun and make a decision they are going to regret.