In an effort to avoid a complete collapse, the Sacramento Kings have decided to part ways with head coach Mike Brown, per ESPN senior insider Shams Charania.
Kings Part Ways With 2023 Coach Of The Year Mike Brown
A two-time Coach of the Year, Brown was riding on a high after ending the team’s 17-year playoff drought in 2023. Even after the Kings’ tendency to play down to their competition led to them missing the 2024 NBA Playoffs, Sacramento signed him to a three-year contract extension. However, the Kings are now on a path that would see them missing the playoffs for the second straight season.
There are myriad factors that have contributed to Sacramento’s underwhelming play, such as De’Aaron Fox’s decision-making and Keegan Murray’s decline. Nonetheless, Brown is the one that has to fall on the sword. Fox is an All-NBA-caliber player. Murray’s in just his third season.
Fox’s recent comments only made it more likely the front office would make a drastic change soon.
Kings fire Mike Brown in the midst of a five-game losing streak, 12 of last 17, and have lost an NBA-high 13 clutch time games this season. Brown won Coach of the Year in 2022-23 when he led the Kings to the postseason, snapping a U.S. sports-record 17-year playoff drought. https://t.co/xAgdCYU16F
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 27, 2024
If there’s one issue that falls solely on Brown though, it’s his treatment of Keon Ellis.
The Keon Ellis Question
Despite Sacramento’s perimeter defense arguably being their biggest weakness, Ellis has been demoted multiple times.
First he was a starter, then he was moved to the second unit. Soon enough he was struggling to even get off the bench. In the first four games of December, he average 13.4 minutes. In his last four contests, he’s averaging 13.4 minutes per game. With the 24-year-old shooting 40.7 percent from three, his utilization is even more questionable.
That being said, it’s hard to believe the Kings fired Brown for not playing Ellis. More problematic than that is the possibility that his team has tuned him out, as evidenced by them ignoring his instructions during their loss to the Detroit Pistons. Perhaps Sacramento just needs a a new voice in the locker room. If so, the truth will be revealed soon enough.
Doug Christie is expected to be the Sacramento Kings’ interim head coach, sources tell ESPN. Christie has been an assistant with the Kings since 2021-22 and played in Sacramento for five of his 15 NBA seasons. pic.twitter.com/FukvFNTHRN
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 27, 2024
Per Charania, assistant Doug Christie will be the team’s interim head coach. The 15-year NBA veteran was four-time All-Defensive team selection in his playing days.
