The Kings’ early season slide hasn’t shaken Scott Perry’s belief in Doug Christie.

In a phone interview with The Athletic’s Sam Amick, the Kings general manager voiced full confidence in Christie as Sacramento works through a 4–13 start and the recent loss of Domantas Sabonis, who will miss at least three to four weeks with a left knee partial meniscus tear.

“This means a great deal to [Christie],” Perry told Amick. “And this is his first year as a head coach, so there’s a learning curve for him as well. But I’ve got complete confidence, and the organization does as well, that he’s going to be able to lead this team into better times.”

Christie inherited the job under chaotic circumstances last season, stepping in as interim coach after Mike Brown was fired in December 2024. Brown had been the franchise’s most successful coach in nearly two decades — winning NBA Coach of the Year and ending Sacramento’s 16-year playoff drought — but a 13–18 start and repeated late-game collapses led the organization to make a change. Christie, then an assistant, was elevated into the role and officially named head coach on May 1.

Since then, he has led a roster battling injuries and inconsistency early in his first full season. Perry, hired as Sacramento’s general manager in April, said the franchise remains aligned behind Christie’s growth and approach.

“I think he would be the first to say we’re not where we want to be,” Perry shared with Amick. “We have not achieved that consistent competitive product on the floor. We have not consistently started to show the identity that is necessary to create that sustainable winner. But I can tell you, as well as say it to the Sacramento community, that this guy is working extremely hard to push every single button to do so.”

Perry also pointed to the challenge of Christie’s first full season in the role.

“I’ve been around long enough to know that coaching’s not easy.” Perry explained to Amick. “I’m a former coach, and it’s a difficult, tough task. But I believe he’s up to it. I’m confident that he’s up to it, and we’ll continue to support him, and to help him, like we’re going to do with our young players. … I want to play a part in helping him develop as a head coach, and in him being the one to ultimately lead us towards that sustainable winning that we’ve talked about.”

Despite a difficult stretch, the Kings showed signs of progress over the weekend, snapping their eight-game losing streak with a 128–123 win over the Denver Nuggets on Saturday. Sacramento will look to build on that momentum when it faces the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.

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