The Sacramento Kings plan to keep Doug Christie on as head coach, according to Sam Amick.
“With the Kings (22-59) falling well short of their internal expectations, and league-wide speculation that they might move on from Christie at season’s end, the decision has been made to continue forward with the 55-year-old, first-time head coach.”
Amick goes on to report that the main reasons for the Kings keeping Christie is because there were roster issues beyond his control (recovering from the work that still needs to be done following the De’Aaron Fox trade and all of the injuries this season.) This “made an already-challenging situation worse in the eyes of the team’s decision-makers and led to the conclusion that Christie deserves more time to prove himself in the position. As such, the choice has been made to keep Christie at the coaching helm for the start of next season and continue the evaluation from there.”
Christie signed a three-year deal last offseason. According to Amick, “that contract includes two guaranteed seasons (approximately $2 million annually) and a team option for the 2027-28 campaign that would include a significant raise if it was exercised.”
The Kings end the season 26th in offensive rating, 28th in defensive rating, and 28th in net rating. Sacramento took a league-low 30.3 three-point attempts per game and shot 34% from three, tied for last. The Kings were 28th in points per game (111). On the other side of the ball, the Kings allowed opponents to shoot 49.4% from the field (29th) and 37.9% from three (29th).
The development of some of the team’s young players this season was a positive, specifically Maxime Raynaud, who finished the season averaging 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds on 57% from the field.
It was a disappointing season all around though. It is worth pointing out that Amick reported that Christie will be the coach for the start of next season and that the “evaluation” will continue from there.
We’ll keep you updated as news in the aftermath of this painful season unfolds.