Doug Christie’s grip on the Sacramento Kings is already under the microscope, and the start to 2026-2027 has done nothing to ease the pressure.
The Kings dropped all five preseason games and are 0-4 in the regular season, a rough opening that only adds to the skepticism surrounding a coach who had never run a team before taking over in Sacramento. Christie, a former Kings player with minimal coaching experience, was the organization’s choice to replace Mike Brown, and the results have been ugly.
Brown came in with a far stronger résumé. He had already been named Coach of the Year in 2009 for his work with the Cavaliers and had won four NBA Championships as an assistant coach with the Spurs and the Warriors.
He also guided Sacramento to its first playoff appearance in 16 years and was named the 2023 Coach of the Year for that season. The Kings fired him anyway.
Instead, Sacramento turned to Christie, and the move has been described as a disaster. His first full season ended at 22-60 in 2025-2026, and the early returns this year have raised the same old question: how much longer will the Kings wait before making another change?
This is about more than the standings. The source of the frustration is the larger job in front of the franchise: getting back to relevance, helping young players grow into stars and reliable rotation pieces, and delivering something better for a fanbase that has held on through 20 mostly terrible seasons.
That hasn’t happened under Christie. The team is not showing meaningful progress, and the longer Sacramento stays on this course, the more damage it does to the relationship with its fans.
In Other News...
Kings Rookie Puzzle Is Changing How Darius Acuff Jr. Looks
Darius Acuff Jr.s early stretch has already become one of the quieter but more revealing storylines for the Kings, because the rookie point guard is forcing the team to rethink how it wants to use him. His shooting has been shaky, and the defensive side has come with its own learning curve, but the bigger question is how those growing pains fit into a rotation that still hasnt found much stability.
The lineup data points to a team still searching for the right mix, with Sacramento yet to put together a positive net rating group that has played more than five minutes together this season. One encouraging wrinkle is that Acuff has looked better away from Zach LaVine, while rookie Emanuel Sharp has given the Kings some of the spacing and defensive presence that can help cover for the young guards rough edges. The puzzle is less about whether Acuff can help and more about which combinations actually make his development and the teams structure work at the same time. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Rookie Darius Acuff Is Forcing A Bigger Sacramento Question
Through the first four games of the season, Darius Acuff Jr. has already given the Kings something they did not have to wait long to evaluate. The No. 7 overall pick is averaging 21.5 points and 4.8 assists, and even with some shooting inefficiency, he has shown enough scoring punch and playmaking feel to make Sacramentos early offense look more dynamic than expected. Kings general manager Scott Perry has also liked the competitive edge Acuff has brought with him, which matters when a rookie is being asked to help shape the tone of a young season.
Acuffs start only sharpens the bigger question around Sacramento: how quickly does this become more than a promising rookie stretch and into a real part of the teams identity? He already owns the franchise mark for the highest single-game scoring output by a teenager in a home game, but the bigger impression has been his insistence that winning comes first. For a Kings team looking for answers, that kind of production paired with that mindset makes it hard to ignore what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Ben Simmons Finally Addressed The Setback Kings Fans Feared
Ben Simmons is back in the conversation for reasons no Kings fan wanted to hear on the eve of the 2025-26 season, after the veteran guard suffered a torn Achilles tendon and saw his comeback attempt in Sacramento end before it began. Even so, his first public comments since the injury offered a glimpse of resolve, with Simmons saying he remains confident he can work his way back and play again while leaning on the support he has received from the organization.
The Kings are now left to absorb the loss of a player they had hoped could stabilize their backcourt and add experience to a roster built for the new season. Simmons plans to continue his rehabilitation in Sacramento, which at least keeps him around the team environment as he begins the long process of recovery and leaves open the question of what comes next once he gets through it. [Read more 🡒]