“Watching that growth and opportunity, that was really one of the main reasons for making sure that Doug Christie came back here as head coach.”
In their first season under general manager Scott Perry, the Sacramento Kings ended with a 22-60 record, tied for worst in the Western Conference. Following its conclusion, it was reported that head coach Doug Christie would remain in that role heading into next year.
At Wednesday’s end-of-season press conference, Perry acknowledged the part injuries played in their disappointing performance.
“I think we had 34 different starting lineups this year, if I’m not mistaken,” Perry said. “That’s very hard to really evaluate any kind of continuity for this group.”
But he also highlighted a silver lining that came about from it all, where Christie shone.
“I’m someone who’s always going to be looking at the glass half full,” he continued. “So a lot of positives ended up coming out of that, starting with the opportunities that were presented to our younger group Max Raynaud, Dylan Caldwell, and Nique Clifford.”
“I really was pleased with how those young people took advantage of the opportunity. I think each and every one of them got better as the season progressed and got on, gained confidence.”
“In watching that growth and opportunity, that was really one of the main reasons of making sure that Doug Christie came back here as head coach. I got a chance to see Doug’s relentless energy, his leadership that he exhibited with these young guys. His patience never wavered through a challenging year, and his work ethic was tremendous this year. And as a young, first time head coach, what impressed me most was his ability to learn keep going back to the lab each and every day and working on his craft… so looking forward to Doug continuing his growth and development along with the players, and so that as we move forward and trust in him and his ability to lead us to the next level of improvement.”
Head Coach Doug Christie of the Sacramento Kings laughs at an officials call during the second half of their game against the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center on February 11, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
More on Scott Perry and Doug Christie
Christie was already under contract for the following season, but the NBA’s nature allows for changes at any time. Now, Perry’s offseason focus turns to improving the roster and adding to their young talent pool.
The true silver lining of their bottom-five record is the lottery implications that come with that. Despite spending most of the season with the worst record, a weaker schedule and improved play from their young players let them put together solid performances following the All-Star break.
All member of the Kings will be holding their breath in hopes of their 11.5 percent chance at the first overall selection plays out. If they had finished with a bottom-three record, those odds would be improved to 14 percent, but there was clear value in the growth that their ‘young core’ displayed.
Following the All-Star break, Maxime Raynaud averaged 17.3 points and 9.2 rebounds while shooting just under 60 percent. Perry selected him out of Stanford with the 42nd pick.
“We drafted a kid 42nd, and if you did the draft again, he goes in the top five, probably,” Christie said of Raynaud. “Like, damn.”
Nique Clifford, their lone first-round selection with Perry traded to acquire, displayed his versatile game with 13.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, four assists, and 1.4 steals post-ASB.
Dylan Cardwell’s journey from undrafted to earning a standard contract and playing more than 900 minutes in his first season was a welcome surprise. Precious Achiuwa, who was not on an NBA roster at the start of the regular season, proved to be an outstanding pickup by Perry.
In 25 games post-All-Star break, he played the best basketball of his career with over 15 points and nine rebounds. The impending free agent has clearly expressed his desire to return to Sacramento, and Perry didn’t hesitate to reciprocate that.
“I know he’d like to be back here,” he said. “We’d like to have him back here. So hopefully we will continue to do business together.”
Daeqwon Plowden was another success story, contributing at the caliber of a rotational piece despite his two-way contract status. How much credit Coach Christie deserves for their promising showings is unclear, but something that Perry has a better feel for than almost anyone else.
One thing was made clear: they felt that injuries absolutely ended their chances this season. That’s probably fair given that Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray, and Zach LaVine appeared in just 81 combined games. Murray and Sabonis never saw the floor together.
Plus, DeAndre Hunter, their lone trade deadline addition, had an unfortunate, freak eye injury that sidelined him for the season in his second game with the Kings.
While Christie can be expected to be consistent for next year’s Kings, there’s plenty more change that Perry will have to consider. None will be bigger than their upcoming lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports
Upcoming Sacramento Kings & NBA Offseason Schedule
Tuesday, April 14th – NBA Play-In Tournament begins
Saturday, April 18th – NBA Playoffs begin
Sunday, May 10th – NBA Draft Lottery
Thursday, June 4th– NBA Finals begin
Thursday, June 25th – NBA Draft (Round 1)
Friday, June 26th – NBA Draft (Round 2)
Tuesday, June 30th – NBA Free Agency negotiation period begins (3 PM PT)
Thursday, July 9th – NBA Las Vegas Summer League begins
Monday, July 13th – Free Agency moratorium ends / signings can become official
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