Monday’s media day marked the official start of the 2025-26 NBA season for the Sacramento Kings.
While most of their roster from last year’s play-in loss to the Dallas Mavericks remains intact, there are some notably new faces.
General manager Scott Perry is headed into his first season as the organization’s lead, while head coach Doug Christie had the interim tag removed during the offseason.
When Perry first took the job, he outlined his six core staples as he aimed to build an identity in year one: Competitive, Tough, Team-Oriented, Accountable, Disciplined, and Professional.
To nobody’s surprise, he echoed that sentiment Monday. Sacramento’s 2025-26 season is centered around establishing a consistent and reliable identity, their first step toward achieving a goal of “sustainable success.”
“I think it’s extremely important that we identify and establish that culture this year because if you want to build a sustainable winner, you have to have a foundation,” Perry said Monday.
“And our foundation has got to be rooted in how hard we play, how tough we are, and how we do this as a team and do this together. So, that’s what I’m really evaluating this year.”
Keep in mind optimism spreads rampant through nearly every NBA team this time of year, but Sacramento’s players and staff didn’t hesitate to express their internal belief — partially because the chaos of 2024-25 is in the rearview.
“Call it what it was, last year was a s**tshow,” DeMar DeRozan said prior to the start of his 17th NBA season.
Mike Brown’s firing 31 games into the season was the first time the 36 year old experienced a mid-season coaching change. Not to mention the subsequent De’Aaron Fox trade, a player who seemed impactful in his decision to come to California’s capital.
“Last year was one for the books for me,” he said. “So much stuff from start to end. To be honest with you, there was a lot of s**t that was going on that internally we tried to fight through.”
Admitting that the chaos affected him last season, DeRozan said he worked tirelessly this offseason on his mentality after having a bad taste in his mouth from the year prior.
“I worked my a** off this year,” DeRozan repeated twice. “I’m overly excited for this season… I’m looking forward to every single thing this year. I think last year I didn’t have that full feeling.”
There’s a sense of continuity and honesty that the pairing of Perry and Christie brings, conveying the same message. Establishing the identity is first and foremost, with hopes of being in the Western Conference postseason mix this season.
They have the talent. DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Domantas Sabonis alone have 11 All-Star appearances between them. But they’re 22nd-ranked defense last season isn’t going to cut it.
Christie, a four-time All-Defensive player during his career, wants the Kings to adopt his aggressive, fast-paced style of play while picking up 94 feet defensively.
Key offseason addition Dennis Schroder plays right into that.
“Identifying Dennis in the offseason was big for me,” Christie said. “I’m a super, super fan and have been for a long time. I really appreciate how he brings his heart to the game. Handing him the basketball makes me feel real comfortbale that he’s going to bring the right type of demeanor and leadership and all of those things. As a coach, I want him to exemplify me on the floor. If you guys know me, I’m a little rough, so I get that, and I think that’s a lot of what you see with him. He’s not backing down.”
“Defensively, there’s an aggressiveness I’d like to play with, and that tone is set by our point guard,” Coach Christie continued.
The Eastern Conference Champion Indiana Pacers outperformed expectations last season — ironically led by former King Tyrese Haliburton — playing that style.
Having quality, reliable depth was crucial in their success, rotating fresh bodies in to maintain their pace and aggressiveness on both ends.
Christie said he’d “like to play ten people” this season, which could mean added opportunity for young players such as Devin Carter and rookie Nique Clifford.
With a week-long training camp starting Tuesday, Christie’s first as a head coach, he and Perry will evaluate their options throughout that process and into the October 8th preseason debut against the visiting Raptors.
More Sacramento Kings coverage on Sactown Sports
Sacramento Kings basketball is back.
The Kings have announced their full roster for the 2025-26 training camp, featuring several returning faces and a few new additions to the fold for Sacramento as preparation begins for the preseason opener on October 8th.
Here’s a look at the full Sacramento Kings training camp roster and coaching staff ahead of another year of Beam Team action:
Read More:
Sacramento Kings announce 2025-26 Training Camp Roster
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Preseason
September TBD – Start of NBA training camps for the 2025-26 season
Wednesday, October 8th vs. Toronto Raptors – 7 PM PT
Friday, October 10th @ Portland Trail Blazers – 7 PM PT
Wednesday, October 15th vs. Los Angeles Clippers – 7 PM PT
Friday, October 17th @ Los Angeles Lakers – 7 PM PT
Regular Season
Wednesday, October 22nd – @ Phoenix Suns – 7 PM PT
Friday, October 24th – vs. Utah Jazz – 7 PM PT
Sunday, October 26th – vs. Los Angeles Lakers – 6 PM PT
Tuesday, October 28th – @ Oklahoma City Thunder – 5 PM PT
Wednesday, October 29th – @ Chicago Bulls – 5 PM PT
Thank you for reading SactownSports.com. Follow us on Twitter and Google News, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
