While there is a long list of reasons why the Sacramento Kings had a terrible season, bad coaching is definitely in the top three. Unfortunately, it looks like head coach Doug Christie isn't going anywhere as the organization wants to see what he can do with a hopefully healthy team.
Sources: Despite the Kings’ brutal season, and amid league-wide speculation that they might make a coaching change, Doug Christie is safe.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) April 12, 2026
Why the Kings chose to keep him at the helm for next season, and where they go from here, at @TheAthletic https://t.co/gXKSPoCXbp
With the regular NBA season firmly in the rear view mirror and the Play-in Tournament underway, the Kings are prepping for a golf trip to Cancun. They finished the season with a 22-60 record, putting them in 14th place in the Western Conference. They were in no danger of reaching the postseason.
There are a lot of reasons 2025-2026 went so badly. The Kings are still recovering from years of mismanagement that directly led to the creation of a grossly imbalanced roster. They're firmly in the rebuild process, but it will take years to repair the damage and create a remotely competitive team.
On top of that, Sacramento was absolutely demolished by injuries. Domantas Sabonis and Keegan Murray played a combined 42 games. Even worse, the projected starting lineup from the beginning of the season never played a single minute together throughout the entire season. It was a mess.
Doug Christie is likely coming back for round two
Keeping all of that in mind, it's impossible to ignore the problems with Christie as head coach. His almost tunnel vision focus and inability to work with certain players, like Keon Ellis, have been a source of problems for the team. Lack of flexibility is definitely not a good coaching trait.
While there has been some speculation that the Kings would part ways with Christie in the offseason, they're standing pat. The franchise wants to see what he can do with a roster that's at least somewhat more well-balanced and made of players who are hopefully healthy this season.
Honestly, that's probably the right decision. While Christie has reportedly had issues with many of the veterans on the team, newer Kings like Precious Achiuwa and Dylan Cardwell have been quite positive about the experience. He hasn't really had the chance to make this his team, for better or worse.
The Kings went through a long period of constant rotation in the head coach position. Right now, the priority for them is likely maintaining stability in that key role. But if things don't get better next season, Christie might find himself going for brunch with Tom Thibodeau and Doc Rivers.
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