Watch: Sacramento Kings head coach, GM speak after end of season
Uh Hey, good afternoon, everybody. Hope you guys are well. It’s been *** whole couple of hours since I’ve seen you guys, it feels like. Um, I just want to thank everybody for being here first and foremost. Um, obviously, this season. Didn’t go exactly the way that we would like, um, ravaged with injuries, and that is just *** name of the game. Um, I think it was 294, to be specific, in, in injuries for, for our players. But that opportunity was given to our young players and I thought the youth movement took full advantage, um, super proud of the development, how they responded, stepping to the task and doing it in *** way. That I thought represented what we want to be going forward, um. you know, despite the ups and downs of it, I thought there was *** There was very much *** positive mindset by those young players because many times you can get lost in that and you can not bring your best. You can give up, you can drop the rope, and they, they did not ever do that. Um, yesterday, I met with the coaching staff. I want to thank all of them for their Dedication, support throughout what was really *** tough year. Um, daily coming in, bringing energy, all those different things. Um, some of you made two changes. Some of you may have, may have seen, want to thank Depeche Mystery and, uh, Jimmy Alape, uh, for all that they’ve brought and all that they did for the Sacramento Kings. Um, And with that, I think I’ll open it up to questions. Doug, uh, first and foremost, welcome back for *** second season. Thank you. Um, just. I know the season did not go the way you wanted to, but with, with the way the young players developed, is that sort of what you think that your brand is right now, is that development from the young guys? Yeah, I, I think, you know, looking at the last 15 games, um, I think we were 6 and 9 in those 15, and when I look at it just visually and That’s, that’s part of it. Like, how does it make you feel? And I thought that the ball movement on the offensive end, the player movement, the multiple efforts, the pickup point, um, in those, in those times we were top 10, I believe in offensive rebounds, so the crashing was there. Um, you know, there was *** game when I believe we shot 44 threes, so those were created by paint touches. Uh, but the physicality on the defensive end, uh, and the pickup points are one of the things that stood out to me most. Like, are there points that we must continue to improve upon? Yes, but that is more stylistically what we want to see. Coach Christie, um, uh, how do you think that, you know, you, uh, align with your standards and, uh, Scott Perry’s, you know, six pillars, uh, you know, going through the season where you felt At times that you know you were not there or one time that you knew that you were there and you know this thing was working because you never swerved from that. You, you were consistent about it. Yeah, you know, that, that’s one of the things that, that you learn along the way. I mean, the beauty of those is when we’re playing to those and we’re all about those, I think that you’re going to see exactly what we want, um. Learning to coach to those all the time, that, that is, that is *** thing because it has to be the standard. And, and it just, it has to be, period. That, that’s one of my areas of growth that I just have to make sure that it is, it is done consistently every single day. And, um, It’s *** blessing to have *** leader like Scott. Um, I will tell you, he, he and BJ have been one of, uh, the biggest blessings for me as ***, as *** young coach learning this business and understanding, he’s seen so many different things. So, just the ability to have those parameters is ***, is ***, is *** big blessing. Hey Doug. Hey, hey, um, you had player exit interviews on Monday and Tuesday. Just want to know what was the overarching message to the players to the offseason. Uh, that we must improve. We absolutely must improve. Um, take this time, decompress, make sure that, you know, you let the body heal and all that, but, um, what we experience is unacceptable, period. And However, we have to do it and you know, in, in mind, you know how we have to do it, but it has to happen. So don’t let this be any indication of what we shall experience going forward. Yeah, um, where do you feel like you had to I don’t know if it’s adjust, adapt, maybe change at any point in the season, but at some point have *** pivot point, realizing that it’s not the season that you want it to be, and then how you kind of go forward with that. Did, did, did that ever occur to you to, to have to make any sort of pivot on your end? You know, I think the point where we really started pivoting to the, to the youth was probably one of the biggest points. And, you know, some of it was obviously the injuries and different things, and then some of it was like, yo, they’re playing, let them play. And The blessing in that, in the, in the beauty is that we fast forwarded their growth. Um, But it’s hard to win with youth in this league because they’re just inexperienced in certain aspects and areas and you just have to let them go through the ups and downs and the bumps and bruises that happen with that. But I thought they did one hell of *** job, man. I do. They came back every day. With the same mindset, they wanted to learn. They were sponges. They went out there and they tried all the different things that we threw at them. Um, they didn’t back up, which is super important because once you start doing that in this league, you get *** jacket that’s put on you and it’s, it’s, I, I don’t even know if you can shake it, but it’s really hard. Um. But they did not do that. Um, that doesn’t mean that you can go fight everybody and all. That’s not what I’m saying. What I’m saying is there’s *** level of physicality and discipline and respect that you gain when you go about it the right way, and I thought they did. Hey Doug, uh, kind of piggybacking off of that question, um, you had stated that one of the positives of this season was the development of the youth. Um, when you had *** season like you had with the adversity, the injuries, and, you know, overall I guess just the disappointment of all the losses, in addition to the youth, is there any Think positive that you look back on this season or reflect back on and be like, you know, that was *** good moment or this was *** good moment, you know, of course there’s *** lot of good things and then my second part of that question is, what is your message to the fans here? Um, you played for this organization, you know the fans very well, and, you know, for them just sticking through with this team. Um, well, I’ll start at the end first. The message to the fans is that we love and appreciate the support that you continue to bring. I mean. Coming into that building towards the end of the season, it’s not going how you want and you look up and we’re in the game, it’s the 4th quarter and I’m like, whoa, this is happening right now. Um, that is *** level of respect and dedication that you don’t see and Um, also at the same time is we will get it right. That’s what we’re here to do. And hell or high water, we will make it happen. Um, as far as positives, like, For me, the, the youth is probably the biggest one from the standpoint that when you look at stylistically what we want to do, that was as close as it, as it gets to what you want to see. There was an energy, there was *** vibe, there was *** protecting the paint, there was *** multiple efforts, there was *** sharing of the basketball, there was *** movement of bodies. Um, there was *** connectedness that I thought permeated through whatever arena we were in, ours or the opponents. And That for me is, is the biggest thing. There will be tweaks and different things that go about to make sure that that takes ***, *** bigger step and *** better step and more stylistically to the product that we want to put out there daily, but, um, that was probably the biggest. Hi Doug, um, two questions. First, I know you don’t like talking about yourself, but, um, if you could give yourself *** grade for, you know, given the, the cards that you were dealt with, the injuries, it being your first season, how would you kind of just assess the job that you did in year one? Um, you know, I, I, it can’t be too high because it wasn’t where we wanted. Um, that’s just who I am. I’m not gonna say, you know, are there some positives? Yeah, but, um. Yeah, to put something on it. We, we, we, I failed because we didn’t get to where we want to go. It’s just, that’s the nature of this business. Um, And I have to be better. It starts with me. So that’s just what it is. And secondly, um, what was it like coaching Russell Westbrook for *** full season and, um, kind of just, we know the player that he is, but just kind of seeing how he stepped up as *** leader for this specific team, you know, it was, um. Both, both of our vets, but Russell in particular, it was, um, It was *** blessing because I was saying in many ways, like, when you coach greatness like that, it’s, it’s not easy. It, it, it can be difficult. But Russ was willing to share of his knowledge. He was willing to bring the young players and the team in particular together many times, dinners, different things, and that’s what leadership is about, especially and he’s seen it at the highest level, he’s played and been in it at the highest level. So for me to. To watch him and be *** part of that was, was big time. Yeah. Doug, you’d been *** coach previously, obviously, but first year running the show. What were some of the things that you came to realize was unique with, with being in that chair, um, and how did you develop and grow throughout those aspects? You know, like you ask *** question like that and it’s really hard to, it’s hard to describe, I’ll be quite frank with you. Like until you sit in it, you, you know, coming in and you think, OK, I need this, I need that, those are some things, and then once you sit in it, you find out that none of that is true. You have no idea what this is until you sit in it. So, um, but I learned *** lot about myself, um, and that’s probably the most important as I go back and, you know, watch every game and break every game down and then recollect and Criticize myself, which is, you know, that is ***, that is *** tough one because I’m hard on myself already, so when I go back and look at it, it’s going to be like good God almighty. But those are the things that you have to do to, to improve and um the chair definitely helped me see different aspects of myself that I needed to see. Then, uh, you know, essentially, your rookie year in this role, what, what do you feel like, like you mentioned there that you did learn about yourself and what do you look forward to next year to improving? You know, I, I would say, um, there’s *** communication piece, um, because sometimes you, you feel like you’re doing something, but it’s not about what you think, it’s about how others perceive it. And I have to make sure that that piece is, is tight, um. The accountability piece is huge. Got to make sure that. Day in and day out, people are held to our standard and are held accountable for all of that because it falls here on this seat, regardless. If somebody else did it, it doesn’t matter. It’s, it’s on me. And, um, those are some of the things, yeah. Doug, when you look at the roster, what are some things that you liked about the roster and then moving forward, maybe some key pieces that you need to add or change? Well, right off the bat, you know, point guard, you know, this is, uh, In this league, if you, if you don’t have that position, you really don’t have *** chance. Um, just the quarterback, it’s, you know, they say quarterback in football and different things and that’s *** tough position. But this one is about as difficult as it gets. This is You’re running *** team, you’re running the show, you’re responsible for, for the guys on the court, you, you know, you’re quarterback in the defense, you’re quarterback in the offense. This guy needs *** shot, that guy needs *** shot. When do I need to do my thing? What does the coach want? Am I representing him the right way out here? I’m the head of the snake. There’s, there’s *** lot that goes into that. Um, and then I thought One of the biggest things and, and I give Scott and BJ, in our scouting department all the credit is they identified, um, I say 3, but I’m gonna say 4 because I’m gonna add Daquan Ploughton in there. They identified What our pillars are and our standard is, and they drafted that and they hit *** grand slam home run because everybody was on base. And that’s difficult, um, because you, you, you hit and miss in this league and the one thing that we have to do here is we can’t miss when it comes to that stuff. And then we have to Develop our players at *** really, really high level. We have to. It’s *** damn must because it, you know, even when I played here, we had the bench mob and that was part of what makes *** team special. It’s not just the starting five. That second five is probably just as important, if not more important, because they’re going to keep the lead or they’re going to extend the lead. And I’ll be damned if they give it up. So yeah. Doug, you, you talked about stylistically at the end of the season, it, it was much more to your liking. There’s an identity there. How do you think that kind of meshes together once you get some of the reinforcements back, you know, you get *** lot of veterans out. Do you, do you think that’s easier to implement the things you want to do now that you, you showed it on tape? Well, you know, I’m, I’m not gonna say the player, but in, in my meetings, the first question that, that one of my players ask is, are we gonna go back to 94 ft? Because we got away from that and I just wanted to hug him and say, get the hell out of the office, man. You hit it on the head right away. Um, but yeah, it’s, you know, when you look at Hunt, when you look at Keegan, those guys possess the length and athleticism and shooting and playmaking. The guy, you plug that in, you know, you’re excited. Then you got Domas and you plug him in and playmaking and dribble handoffs and all these different things that he brings. Um, then you talk about the youth and how they develop and you start to mix that together. Now it’s going to be my job to make sure that systematically we are on point. Um. And you know, oddly enough, these are things I used to say when I was on TV because I played in the system, so I’d always be like, can you leave the system? And then you get here, and I, I have to make sure that when they hit the floor, they know exactly what it is and Then it’s easier to coach because I can see you’re not doing what it is. And that goes on both sides of the floor. So it would be nice to plug those guys in and have all that. We didn’t have it, but to your point, yeah, um, I could see how it all of that could fit because the um ability to shoot and the ability to defend and the ability to rebound are things that are absolute must and those guys help in those categories. Uh, two for you, Doug. Um, the first one is Zach said in his exit interview, uh, that, you know, this is one of the better collections of talent in the league that he, he thought. Obviously the injuries, but why, even before the injuries of the team just wasn’t, wasn’t playing up to the standard, why do you think that that collection of talent wasn’t able to get it done? Um, It, it’s, it’s hard to say. I, I would say in, in many. Uh, all the teams I’ve ever been on and I’ve seen. Just because you got talent don’t mean you’re gonna win. Talent got to fit. Talent got to be ready to be willing to sacrifice. And We can go back and look and see different areas where it obviously did not work, but there was not one game when Keegan Domas, I don’t think they ever played together. So when you start talking about that, there’s ***, there’s *** synergy and there’s *** different thing that goes with practice and *** lot of different things that we have to improve upon to help them to be what you’re talking about. So just because you got talent doesn’t mean that, that you’re going to win. So I, I You know, you look at our team and you look at some of the teams in the playoffs and some of them, you can say, oh, that’s *** more talented team and they might not win because there’s *** There’s *** togetherness that you have to have. There’s, and there’s *** sacrifice. You got to be committed to what we’re doing. And if you’re not committed to what we’re doing, it’s not gonna work, period. It’s not. Because as soon as the link gets identified, that’s not 100% in. You attacking that. And it’s gonna break. It has to be everybody all in, all the time. And when we get that with talent. Well, now we’re sitting here, but we’re, oops, we’re not sitting here. We’re getting ready to go play. Yeah. And then my second one is, um, obviously you, the staff, all the players, obviously put in an incredible amount of work during the season. Um, was there like ***, *** moment for you of some, something you saw or some work that you, the team put in that paid off that you kind of smiled, and what, what was I guess your most gratifying moment of the season? Um. It’s ***, it’s *** good one. I’m always thinking defense. I, I apologize. But You know, there was ***, *** moment, I can’t remember the game, but we always talked about rotations and different things and multiple efforts and um We got 2 bigs on the floor and when in big rows, you want to see big to big, you wanna see uh small gets rotated on *** big and *** big sees it and he goes and it’s like get the hell out of here. I got it and scram him out and Max did that and I just went. You know, uh, my face probably didn’t say it, but I was like, damn, OK, kid, you know, like he, it takes *** while, it’s *** lot going on. He’s trying to figure it out and that was probably game 60, 65, but the point is he figured it out and that’s probably one of the most gratifying things that you get as *** coach. Kind of going off of that, what do you think this rookie class stacks up to years past within the Kings. *** lot of guys, especially that, you know, you saw development and growth this year, uh, particularly the big one. Where, so the history of the Kings, where this stacks up, I, I would probably say right at the top. I mean, you know, with the except, you know, you got like Jay Will, um. That’s outstanding, um. Boogie was. But we drafted *** kid that’s 42nd and if you did the draft again, he goes in the top 5 probably like damn. Then you got *** kid in Nick who uh towards the end of the season like I was like, oh boy, um, DP and then Dylan. He wasn’t even drafted and he affects winning like nobody’s business. So I don’t know that we’ve seen *** draft class like this here. Um, we’ve seen *** lot that didn’t work and I think that, that, that’s why when I mentioned Scott and BJ and that whole staff up there, you have to give them credit for, you know, Identifying because *** lot of people obviously didn’t see it. But we did and we benefit from it. Hey coach, uh, just like the rookies got an extended opportunity this season, it feels like you faced much more than *** coach usually does in their first year in that seat. I’m wondering if, what any confidence you take or what do you take from that and apply to the next season. Good question. Um, You know, as an athlete, you, you Grow up and to, to like on the outside looking in, this is like, whoa, and, and this is *** lot. But you kind of made for it or, or you’re not. You just, you keep fighting, you come with the, the right mentality, um. Or that starts to break down and you see that. Um, me in, in this position, I try to come with um the right disposition, the right mindset, clean it, rinse it, let’s go again. The learning inside of that is, is probably the, the biggest gift and that’s the, that, you know, sit back and look and luckily, I have two incredible Mentors and leaders that, that helped me because they see the game differently in Scott and BJ than *** lot of people. So it’s, it’s easy for me to To lean on them. Sometimes they probably be like, damn man, but I, I lean on them because I know that when you talk about knowledge and battles and fighting and where they come from, like that for me is an invaluable piece of growth that I just dive into. So, you know. This job is, uh, is one of the, the biggest hurdles that I’ve ever faced, but I truly enjoy it and I think that’s, I must enjoy paying *** little bit because it’s, it’s ***, it’s *** lot of fun, man. I, I really have *** fun doing my job and I know that. What’s on the other side of what we experienced is the gratification in going through what we go through. Yeah. Thanks everyone. Thanks. I appreciate you guys. Yes. OK.
Watch: Sacramento Kings head coach, GM speak after end of season
Updated: 12:13 PM PDT Apr 15, 2026
As the Sacramento Kings prepare for the offseason, head coach Doug Christie and general manager Scott Perry held a press conference on Wednesday at the Golden 1 Center. The team has announced that Christie will return as head coach. Wednesday’s discussion included takeaways from 2025-26 and offseason plans, including how they are approaching to upcoming NBA draft. See Christie’s comments in the video above and Perry’s below. KCRA 3 sports director Michelle Dapper and Sean Cunningham were present to cover the event. See their coverage on the KCRA 3 evening news.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
As the Sacramento Kings prepare for the offseason, head coach Doug Christie and general manager Scott Perry held a press conference on Wednesday at the Golden 1 Center.
The team has announced that Christie will return as head coach. Wednesday’s discussion included takeaways from 2025-26 and offseason plans, including how they are approaching to upcoming NBA draft.
See Christie’s comments in the video above and Perry’s below.
KCRA 3 sports director Michelle Dapper and Sean Cunningham were present to cover the event. See their coverage on the KCRA 3 evening news.