Why it’s fitting the Sacramento Kings are undefeated at home under Doug Christie | Opinion
So much about the King’s miraculous turnaround is open to interpretation.
Fans are left to read between the lines to understand the Kings’ sudden revival. How is it possible that the same players who were 6-12 at home under Mike Brown, including Brown’s final five home games as coach where his players found different ways to lose each time? Since then, they are 7-0 at home under Doug Christie.
When you listen to past interviews with Brown and then listen to Christie, it’s a night and day difference in how the two men approach the game of basketball and their team philosophy.
When the Kings lost to the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 26, thanks to an ill-advised foul by De’Aaron Fox with seconds to go, Brown was blunt.
“If you’re up three, you gotta guard your man at the three-point line and there should be no close-out opportunity,” Brown said after the 114-113 loss. “Why there was a closeout by Fox? I don’t know, I’ll have to go look at the tape.”
The response from Brown showed a disconnect between a coach and his players.
Under Christie for the last month, a missing team unity has taken shape
You see the transformation in the little things that Christie is doing with the players.
A leader of men
One that got a lot of attention was when Christie took the team to the roof of Golden 1 Center to get a closer look at the beam lighting the downtown skyline after their January 2 victory over the Philadelphia 76erts.
“Y’all are the light of this city, man,” Christie said. “And when you light ... it means something to people. You understand what I’m saying? And when you come and rock the way you guys are rocking, you’re going to continue to lift them and that’s what we’re here to do, so continue to be that light.”
And since then the team has been undefeated at home, something Christie doesn’t take for granted.
“Home is a special place and I’ve tried to impart that message to our guys that we protect home,” Christie said after Wednesday’s win against the Warriors. “It’s a safe place for our fans to come and rock out and know that we’re gonna put on a show, we come here to play a certain way and win or lose you gonna know that we came and gave you everything we got.”
Knowing what it feels like to lift up the community with success is something that needed to be put into perspective for this squad and Christie has done just that. With that perspective, the Kings have begun to have faith in one another.
“More than anything it’s the belief. I think they began to believe in themselves and that goes past coaching. Now it’s something that they own,” Christie said. “When they walk onto the court, when they are in any arena they believe that they have an opportunity to win.”
So much talk in the off-season focused on the Kings making a deep run in the playoffs as a stepping stone to a future spot in the NBA Finals. What we’ve seen in January is a team that starting to believe it.
Noticing a difference
Another big difference between Christie and Brown is how guard Keon Ellis has blossomed in January. Brown seemed to languish on Brown’s bench or not play at all, a big concern when you look at the stats. When he starts for the team, their defensive rating is significantly better which can be decisive in close games like last week’s home win over the Golden State Warriors.
“(Ellis) can plug some many different holes, he can guard from your point guard to your small forward and sometimes even your power forward, then his ability to do things you can’t teach,” Christie said after their win against the Boston Celtics on Jan. 10. “He has a really good sense of the game, he has a really good understanding of time and space.”
Christie speaks of love for his players, love for Sacramento, and love for what they are trying to do together. In the next to last loss under Brown’s watch, 122-95 whipping by Indiana, Brown didn’t play Ellis for one minute. He sat there as his teammates seemed to quit. Now look at him under Christie.
The Kings are now winning games they were losing in December.
Christie’s leader-of-men mentality has proven to be what the Kings needed. Whether it’s through escape games or a trip up to the roof to see the beam, he has sparked a sense of purpose in this team.
The season is far from over but one thing is becoming clearer: The Kings believe they are that squad.
This story was originally published January 29, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
