Doug Christie on the Sacramento Kings' top priority: Defense

Following a long, busy–and then very quiet–offseason, Sacramento Kings basketball is back.

The Beam Team tips off training camp this week as they prepare for October 8th’s preseason opener against the Toronto Raptors at Golden 1 Center.

Sacramento head coach Doug Christie sat down with our very own Carmichael Dave and Jason Ross to discuss his thoughts on where things currently stand heading into his first training camp in his new role, share his defensive mindset for the upcoming season, and much more.

Be sure to listen to and watch the entire interview with Sacramento Kings head coach Doug Christie right here or on the Sactown Sports 1140 YouTube page.

YouTube video

Topics Discussed

Doug dives into his new coaching staff and breaks down what Mike Woodson & Bobby Jackson bring into the fold.
What has Doug learned from coaches before him that has helped him on his path to where he is today?
Will defense be a priority for this year’s team?
“I want people to leave Golden 1 Center proud as hell that that is their team.”
Much more!

Listen to The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross from 6 – 10 a.m. PST, Monday through Friday, on Sactown Sports 1140.

Click here for full episodes of The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross.

More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports

When the media was let into the final moments of Tuesday’s Sacramento Kings training camp debut, players were sprinting from end to end in a full-court layup drill.

“Our narrative from myself and Scott [Perry] is we’re going to be the best conditioned team in the NBA,” Kings head coach Doug Christie said. “One of the top ones for sure.”

Playing a high-paced style of basketball is clearly part of the plan headed into 2025-26 after ranking 19th (98.91) in pace last season.

Perhaps the simplest way to get out in transition is by getting stops and forcing turnovers. Christie is asking his team to play full-court defense to apply pressure on both ends of the floor.

But, as he mentioned, that requires elite conditioning and capable depth. Christie said at Monday’s media day that he hopes to play 10 players due to their preferred, yet taxing, style.

“It’s tough, man,” he said Tuesday. “Conditioning is not for everybody. And then being in the condition to be the best conditioned team in this league definitely ain’t for everybody, but it’s what the Sacramento Kings is about.”

Pace and aggressiveness on both ends clearly play into the identity Perry and Christie are attempting to curate.

Doug Christie on the Sacramento Kings’ top priority: Defense

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